Dark Love
by Tela
Summary: Being dead certainly has its advantages but as Azrielle delves deeper into the mystery of Glast Heim, she gets more than she bargained for. Can she really save both the damned soul of Dark Lord and her beloved Midgard? 7.10.08 No update, just fixing stuff
1. Encounters

**06.30.08...revising more.**

_As of 03/01/07_…I'm going through each chapter to rewrite the parts I'm unhappy with and to correct my many, _many_ errors since it has been bothering me. Nothing will change very much in the story other than a few details here and there so rereading the chapters is up to you. Happy reading!

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**Encounters**

All he did was watch her. It was all he _could_ do. He could never approach her; speak to her...lest it was to kill her. She could never have any feelings for him other than hate toward him and it wounded him more than he would ever admit. He hated this lack of control over his "feelings". Did he have feelings anymore?

_Yes, yes I do have them_, he thought. It had been so very long since he felt anything more than irritation or anger that he had forgotten all other emotion.

I feel hate but what do I feel for you, priestess? Surely not love. Has she cracked my once impregnable shell? In a deep, long forgotten place in his mind, he vaguely remembered what love had felt like but it was not like this. This was something different all together. Whether it was good or bad, he could not be sure.

"Why do I let you torture me like this priestess?" He retreated further into the shadows as she looked in his direction. Nothing seemed to truly scare her and that was the first thing that attracted him to her. He easily over powered her the first and only time they had met. It was then that she captured him completely. He was drawn to her like the planets to the sun. An over powering and invisible force led him to gravitate around the unknowing priestess. He remembered fondly of that day.

_She lay on the cold floor of Glast Heim abbey; bruised, bleeding and very near death. She should have run away, she knew she should have but she stayed to fight him. She _knew _she was no match for him but it did not stop her. She was angry at this dark creature for all the horrible fates of the unfortunate priests that met their end here. His shadowy figure loomed over her battered body, waiting for her to cry or do_ something_. Instead, she stared at him with cold green eyes, fearless and determined._

"_You've won, obviously, so kill me!" she cried. Her body had never ached so badly in her life and his silence was just as painful. She wanted to cry because she hurt so much but no, she never cried. Not in front of her enemies. She never gave anyone that pleasure. _

_He grabbed the front of her dress and lifted her to his eye level. She looked into deep, empty crimson eyes _far_ longer than she wanted to. They revealed nothing other than being devoid of any emotion whatsoever. What did he want? She swore she heard him sigh before he tossed her to the ground. She landed with a thud and stayed there for hours. She was too tired and in shock to do anything else. Eventually, she rose on weary legs and warped herself out of Glast Heim and stumbled into the arms of concerned friends._

Something in him had let her live. It had to have been her strength, her conviction and of course, her fearlessness that overcame him that day. It was something so powerful to override his natural inclination to kill her. He wanted to kill her on one hand but on another he was far too intrigued to finish her off. Since when did he care about any of that? She was an intruder in his domain like so many others. The more he thought about it, the more he broke down the barriers he had created within himself. To feel was to be weak, was it not?

"I'll tell you, my beloved priestess, of these "feelings" I have. Even then, I know you would never return those feelings. I'm a half dead monster without a heart or soul. Everyday this ache gets worse and I cannot take much more of this agony."

He had to tell her. It was tearing him apart, piece by piece. Perhaps saying something would rid him of her, that is, _if_ she returned. She would be frightened and avoid Glast Heim, he believed. He was wrong. She did return. When she was gone from his mind, he could return to being himself. In a moment, he disappeared, formulating some way to explain this to her. What would drive her away best? If all else failed, he could kill her.

--

These days, Glast Heim was as effortless to train in as Payon cave. She merely came here to continue her never-ending work of freeing the dead souls wandering this haunted place. They didn't belong here. As a priestess, she mourned the fact that so many souls were at unrest. For each of the undead she freed, she sent a prayer to heaven and hell. She, after all, did not know which place that each soul was destined for so she only hoped that the correct place would claim that soul.

Still, there were two creatures that eluded her. The infamous Dark Lord and his minions the Dark Illusions. They were too strong for her but their day would come. If not by her hands, then someone else would be just a good. Until then, they would continue terrorizing acolytes and priests alike. It was a terribly dangerous place to train but it was one of the most popular for its challenges. Oddly enough, Dark Lord seemed scarce lately.

It had been many months since her encounter with him and it still shook her. She had refused to show him her fear but on the inside, she was terrified. She could have died that day and she almost did. She thanked God for whatever thoughts Dark Lord was having that day. She could not have died peacefully if things had gone differently. Admittedly, it was one of her many bad decisions to stay and fight. Her guild leader had made sure to lecture her on _that_.

Glast Heim wasn't a particularly cheerful place but was once a great religious center in Rune-Midgard. Now, lost and confused souls gathered here and became pawns of the Dark Lord. No one seemed to know who he was or how he came to be Dark Lord but he was a wicked creature. It was he who devastated the once magnificent city, people had said. The history of the dead city was more a jumbled mess than anything.

With a sigh, she sat down to rest a bit before she went any further. Running a hand through long silvery hair, she studied the dark, crumbling walls. So many years had this place been in ruin. She would have like to see it in its prime. All of a sudden, something very cold grabbed her, pulling her to her feet. The thing did not hurt her but held her firmly. "Let go of me!" she yelled as she struggled to get free of its grip. It was far too strong for her apparently but she fought nonetheless. Her heart, despite her efforts to control it, beat furiously.

"It would be best not to fight, priestess," the thing whispered in her ear. It was a deep, cool voice. The voice sent chills through her and she was not entirely sure about her reaction.

"What the hell do you want?" the priestess growled. She ceased her struggle for a moment to listen. The creature was not trying to kill her so that was a positive thing but what did it want?

"Only to speak to you. I have some...confessions," he said slowly as if unsure of his words.

"Oh please! No amount of confession could free you of sin, I'm sure!" she growled angrily. The thing remained silent. "Who are you anyway?" she snapped and began her struggle again. The creature sighed rather dejectedly. Her eyes moved down to the arms around her and saw that they really revealed nothing. She simply saw gloved hands and covered arms.

"If you stop this useless struggle, I'll let go of you." To be honest, he would give anything to keep her this close. He took in the sound of her voice, the smell of her hair and the softness of her skin. He may never be this close again. In fact, it had been a few hundred years since he had been this close to any female. By the gods, she felt so _alive_. He could feel her heart pounding beneath his arms and he wished it were not out of fear. In fact, he shouldn't have been thinking this way at all.

"Fine." She ended her struggle and he set her down. She turned slowly to face the creature and was not quite horrified but at a complete loss for words. Even through the dim light, she could see him clearly enough. "Oh...my god..." It was _him_. She looked him up and down, already familiar with this vile creature. He had never spoken to people before as long as he had been Dark Lord. Well, at least that she knew of. He watched her, waiting for a worse reaction to follow.

"Dark Lord," she said finally, solidly standing her ground. In her mind, she kept thinking "please don't kill me, please don't kill me" repeatedly.

"Yes...I..." Now he was at a loss for words. Everything he had planned to say was now lost. He had gone completely blank. This was a most unusual thing to happen.

Putting her hands on her hips, she narrowed her gaze. He's so much stronger than me, she thought, no wonder it was so easy for him to hurt me like the way he did. The thoughts running through her head were only scaring her more. "Why didn't you kill me? You know, all those months ago? I didn't need your pity!"

He looked down at her, still amazed that she was not cowering before him. "It was unlike me."

"You think so? Normally you attack and _kill_ any poor soul that runs into you!" She was angry now.

This is the end of the line, Dark Lord thought to himself. "You think I didn't try to kill you? I could not! You cannot fathom how this has stunned me and I have no idea what to do about this!" He was practically roaring now and there was just a hint of fear deep in her eyes but she stood her ground.

"My beautiful priestess...what have you done to me?" he closed the distance between them and stared down at her, his fingers stroked her hair and then down to her chin, forcing her to look up. She stared, wide-eyed and in the next instant, he was gone. She just stood there, bewildered at the completely strange situation. What the hell just happened? Running a mental list she began at one: ran into dark lord, two, he didn't kill her, three, he said some very strange things.

"Beautiful? He called me beautiful..." she whispered in the darkness. This was a little too much. She needed to get out of there as soon as possible. Pulling a blue gem out of a small bag tied to her belt, she simply said "Juno" and tossed the gem to the ground. A portal opened instantly shining with swirling blue and white light. She stepped in and immediately appeared outside her guild hall.

--

She pushed open the door and headed through the halls to the kitchen. Mira was always there eating something and she was just the one she needed to see. "Azrielle! You're back early. Where'd ya go anyway?" Her friend and guild mate Mira asked. The blond haired wizard was sitting at the table with an apple in one hand and a book in the other. She was smiling brightly, not realizing that something was wrong.

"I-I went to Glast Heim."

Mira frowned, noticing the slight stutter. "You okay?" She noticed that Azrielle looked a little pale and nervous. What could have happened? She didn't appear hurt at least. She marked her page, closed the book and set it on the table.

"I'm not sure. I'm just freaked out I guess. I had another run in with Dark Lord," she sighed. It took a moment for her words to register in the wizard's mind.

"Oh my god! He didn't hurt you like last time, did he?" The wizard cried frantically as she nearly knocked her chair over trying to stand up. Azrielle shook her head. Mira had always been a very motherly figure in the guild despite her young age. Mira was only a few years older than her. She left the apple on the table and hurried to the priestess, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. She looked her over and saw nothing out of place much to her relief.

"Not even a scratch but he was waaay to close for comfort," Azrielle groaned, burying her face in her hands.

"How close?"

Mira guided her to a chair and took a seat next to her. "Basically, he grabbed me and held me captive for a minute. He said he wanted to talk to me, Mira, but he didn't act like himself." She didn't even know what he acted like anyway so her comment was a bit of an assumption.

"You mean he wasn't all evil and reminding you of your impending death if he got his hands on you?" Then Mira gasped, "_Wait!_ Oh my god! I can't believe he didn't kill you! That's way too scary for me." She was thankful that there wasn't a repeat of the last incident with Dark Lord. The wizard truly thought Azrielle was going to die last time.

"You know," Azrielle murmured, "that stuff really didn't bother me very much. It was just something he said that scared and confused me."

"What did he say?" Mira asked, inching closer and going back to munching on her apple. She was actually interested now that she knew nothing had really happened to threaten Azrielle's life. Not only that, but the infamous monster actually _spoke_?

The priestess was slightly embarrassed, "He, um, called me beautiful." She felt her face unexpectedly turn bright red. It was weird, though…Dark Lord was an evil abomination. He would never say things like that, right? For the life of her, she couldn't figure that creature out. Besides, she wasn't really beautiful. She was just one of those girls that you could probably call pretty. Those kind of girls weren't exactly uncommon.

"What!" Mira sputtered, nearly choking on her apple.

"You heard me."

"What's with all the noise? I'm trying to study," a male voice interrupted. It was Kaeru, the guild's other priest. He was not quite as experienced as Azrielle as a priest but he was well on his way. He was easily discouraged though, especially by their guild leader but Azrielle and Mira stood up for him. They were the two people in his life that truly cared about him. His own family had disowned him.

"Dark Lord has a thing for Azi!" Mira laughed, nudging the priestess.

"Eww, that's creepy," he said with a shudder.

"Speaking of Glast Heim, Azi, you promised to help me train there. Maybe in the abbey or the churchyard," he reminded her. She had gotten out of it last time he asked but he wasn't taking no for an asnwer.

"I said that?" She really did not want to go back for a while. A long, long while.

"Damn straight you did! We leave tomorrow at noon to go visit your undead boyfriend." Kaeru and Mira giggled at his comment and made kissing sounds. This was just great, she was thoroughly embarrassed now. They would never let her live this down.

Azrielle stood, about to leave the room, "Whatever. I'm going to bed." So maybe she did promise to take him but what about Dark Lord? Today was way too weird. She recalled his cool breath on her neck and his low voice in her ear. She turned red again at the thought and her guild mates gave her a questionable look.

"It's not even nine yet!" Mira complained.

"I'm tired," she said through a fake yawn. She left them giggling at another joke Kaeru made about her being too tired because of the hot undead action with Dark Lord. She ignored it and went to her room, quickening her pace when she was out of their sight. She shut her door, locked it and fell into bed. "Ugh..." she groaned. Nothing but weirdness.

--

"AZRIELLE! Get the hell up!" Kaeru yelled from outside her door,"It's past ten you lazy bum!" Azrielle cracked an eye open at the ruckus but decided to ignore it. Pulling the pillow over her head, she sighed. The day had come far too soon for her liking. She wanted to stay in her bed where it was safe and there were no crazy monsters after her. "If you don't wake up, I'll put worms in your shoes again!" She cringed at the memory.

A few years ago, he decided to be funny and put worms in her shoes. She completely freaked out when the felt the wet, squishy worms on her feet. So…gross…she shivered. Kaeru waited impatiently outside. He sighed when he still got no answer, "Fine, I'll just go tell Jared what happened to his katars," he grinned. They thought it was a funny story but Jared would kill them if he knew.

They had been out training with the named assassin when they saw a rather large spider leering at them. It was a damn over sized argos! Jared had gone off somewhere so the two of them were left alone. They grabbed the closest thing to them, the katars, and went after it. Unfortunately, the argos won the battle. Not only did it eat the katars, it managed to catch Kaeru and get him half way into its mouth. Yes, Kaeru was more scared than he had ever been because his lower half was inside the giant spider.

Azi, on the other hand more worried about Jared's katars. They were one of the assassin's most prized possessions. Somehow, Kaeru got himself out and they ran for their lives. Giant spiders and priests do not really mix well together. To this day, Jared still gets depressed about those katars. Suddenly, Azi peeked out from her room drowsily. "Whaaat?"

"We're going to Glast Heim like you promised." She just sighed.

"Fine. I'll go get ready."

"Great!" he grinned.

Like he had planned, they were out of the guildhall by noon and the next moment they stood outside of the abbey. Kaeru noticed her being unusually apprehensive but figured she would get over it. She was probably just nervous about the day before. As they walked in, a ghoul immediately greeted them. Kaeru healed the monster, which was obviously deadly to the undead. As it dropped to the ground, he nodded in satisfaction. He was most certainly getting better at this whole priest thing.

"Do you think they really let go of everything and find peace when we kill them?" He always wondered but no one really knew for sure.

Azrielle shrugged, "We can only hope. All I know is that they don't belong in the world of the living."

"Yeah. Let's keep going."

They spent a good two hours with various monsters around the abbey as they slowly made their way to the churchyard. As they rounded a corner, a mob of very angry Wraiths and Evil Druids started toward them. "Kaeru, be careful!" They held their ground but they also noticed that there was no end in sight. The monsters just kept coming. The numbers were extremely unusual.

"Um, Azi? I can't keep this up!" Kaeru yelled breathlessly.

Azrielle was also running out of energy but she had to get him out of here. "If you can teleport away, do it. If not, I'll distract them while you run!" she answered. She had a vast supply of energy but even it did not last forever. She was starting to dislike Glast Heim more than ever at this point.

"No, I have to rest before I can teleport anymore."

"Then run!"

"What about you?" he asked worriedly.

"I said go! I'll be fine!" With that, he took off as fast as he could. Surely she could kill these things but not if they kept coming, which they did. They were landing more blows on her as she became more and more tired. Then she saw it. As if this could not get any worse, a Dark Illusion decided to join the party.

Kaeru had not left as he was told, but merely went out of their sight. He thought that if he rested for a minute he could go back and help her out. He watched in horror as the Dark Illusion appeared. The monster charged her and dealt her a strike that knocked her off her feet. It seemed to laugh with a raspy, wheezy sound. Despite having the breath knocked out of her, she struggled to sit up and pull herself to her feet. The Wraiths would not have that. They continued their barrage of abuse until the Dark Illusion let out a screech.

The young priest could not watch anymore of this. Tears stung his eyes, as he had never imagined having to watch Azrielle die like this. She was like a sister to him and he did not know what to do without her. When he heard the blood-curdling screech of one of the monsters, he peered around his hiding spot to become even more terrified. "No…" he whispered.

The Dark Illusion fell into the heap of dead monsters. They were falling one by one at the hands of something more powerful. Azrielle could barely keep her eyes open as she watched the last one fall. She was beaten badly but she was not down for the count just yet. She could get up if she tried hard enough. Then a familiar shadow loomed above her. It knelt down and assessed the damage to the priestess. "Priestess…" Dark Lord sighed.

She forced herself to meet his gaze. "What…do you want…this time?" She managed to ask. It hurt to move or even breath. The bright side to all of this was that she wasn't injured like she had been with Dark Lord. She'd be okay after a while.

"I only meant to help you. I am sorry for what they did to you."

Azrielle snickered and winced at the pain it caused, "Funny thing for you to say."

The ominous creature moved his hands to his face. Well, she thought it was his face but as he removed it, she saw that it was nothing more than a mask. He set it on the ground next to him and looked back to Azrielle, "You make me do strange things." How very odd, she thought as she gazed at him. Raven black hair was tied back in a long ponytail and he was very pale but he obviously did not go to the beach very often.

She could just imagine him being out there five minutes and then turning beet red from the sun. Hehe, he would be Red Lord. Wonderful, now she was becoming delusional and her mind was coming up with terrible jokes. Hmm…she could also see him in full Dark Lord gear, chasing poor people off the beach.

"Priestess, are you even listening to me?" His crimson eyes were still the same. Cold and angry. Still, he wasn't terribly despite his evil nature.

"Eh?" she said weakly. She would have rather kept daydreaming about anything other than Glast Heim.

"I said that your wounds need attending."

"Yeah…" she said softly as she closed her eyes. "Is the scary Dark Lord, killer of all that is good, gonna save the little priestess?" she mumbled with a wry smile. Kaeru could not hear what they were saying but he was overwhelmed with worry. Was Dark Lord _ever_ going to leave? He managed to creep silently from hiding and into the shadows.

"Priestess, you-"

"Stop calling me priestess, will you? It's annoying."

He frowned, "If I knew your name, I would use it."

"Azrielle."

He nodded, seeming to like the name. He started to speak again but she had fallen unconscious. He picked her up gently and began to walk off when he heard a gasp. He turned around sharply to see a young priest on the verge of tears. Kaeru froze as Dark Lord looked at him. Dark Lord appeared human but just as chilling without the mask. He could no_t_ let Azi be taken but he was nothing to Dark Lord. There was absolutely nothing he could do for her except watch helplessly.

"She will not die," Dark Lord said sharply. He strode off, without his mask and with Azrielle in his arms.

Kaeru dropped to his knees and prayed for Azrielle's safety_. Please don't let him hurt her, please._ The priest quickly returned to the guild to tell someone about the situation. He ran through the doors up to the Mira's study. "Mira!" he cried. Mira nearly dropped her book at the priest's outburst. He was out of breath and looked ragged. Something had happened and it was obviously not good.

"What happened?" she asked.

"Dark Lord! He t-took Azi. I dunno what he's gonna do, Mira!"

"Kaeru, calm down." She stood and hugged the shaking priest, trying to relax him. They could not do anything if the priest was hysterical. Moments later, they heard the clanking of armor nearing the room. They knew very well who was coming to the room.

"Oh no…" Kaeru whimpered and buried his head in Mira's shoulder. He felt like such a little coward, hiding behind Mira all the time but his fear of Alexander overrode all other feelings.

"I heard yelling," a stern voice stated. Alexander was not only a Lord Knight but also their guild leader. He was very serious and stern by nature. Mira often called him names but he never did anything to her. It was only with Kaeru that he acted two times worse than normal. He had little patience and Kaeru was one of those got under his skin. Few people would stand up for the younger man though.

"What did you do this time, Kaeru?"

"Come on Alex, don't make him more upset," Mira muttered. She knew that Alex would only make things worse. She was constantly bickering with the lord knight over his treatment of Kaeru and others. Often, she was the only one who stood up to him so she was unofficially the "mother" of the guild. She laughed when Azrielle had deemed her as such but took it as a compliment.

"I won't ask again, Kaeru, what happened?"

The priest heaved a sigh, "Azi and I went to Glast Heim and everything was fine until we got mobbed. We fought them off for a while but they kept coming. Azi told me to run and I didn't want to but she insisted. I hid instead of leaving and then a dark illusion showed up and-"

"You didn't help her?"

Mira snorted, "Be realistic Alex. If she can't take down a dark illusion, he definitely can't. They're just priests." Alexander was so hardheaded sometimes and failed to see the obvious things. Usually, she or Azrielle were the only ones that would argue a point with him.

"Not too long after, Dark Lord showed up and he-"

"You should have done something! Hiding like a coward makes you no good to anyone! You're an idiot!" Alexander shouted. Kaeru felt bad enough as it was but to have Alexander yelling at him only made it worse. He was not upset that Alex was angry but that he had to leave Azrielle. Who knew what would happen to her. He knew he could not have helped her but he felt ashamed for not trying. If she died...he'd never forgive himself.

"Alexander! How can you say that? You know what? You're an ass," Mira scolded. She turned to the priest and put her hands on his shoulders. Getting Kaeru upset would not help the situation so she spoke gently, "Kae, hun, you couldn't have done anything. Now where's Azi?"

"T-that's the main thing. Dark Lord k-killed the mob," he stammered. He was glad that she had not died but he could not get the images of Azi being beaten to the ground out of his head. What a nightmare.

"What!" Alex and Mira exclaimed at once.

"He d-did. He took Azi somewhere though. She was hurt really bad but he said that-"

"He spoke to you? So he did see you," Alex growled, "and he took Azrielle somewhere? You're useless!"

"Ugh, Alexander! Stop calling Kaeru names!" She was sick to death of Alexander's attitude and his holier than thou self. She would have liked to see someone cut him down a few notches.

"He said she wouldn't die," Kaeru said as he started to walk out of the room. An arm blocked his path just before he walked out. He glanced fearfully at the lord knight. Alexander, without turning his head, spoke.

"Find Luzien. I need a priest I can count on to find Azrielle. I also need to organize a guild meeting." He had a bitter edge to his voice and it further terrified Kaeru. As Kaeru scampered out, Mira glared at the Lord Knight.

"Handled reeeal well. I can't believe you're so mean to him, you…you…stupid knight!" He gave her an odd look and walked out. "Oh Azi, I hope you're okay," she sighed worriedly to the empty room.

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**A/N**: R&R, yes? I also accept endless adoration :3


	2. Safe for Now

**03.19.07**...chapter **two** has been revised.

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**Safe for Now**

Kaeru had arrived in Payon only a short time ago to find Luzien. Luzien was a high priest he had met quite a few times but they never had the chance to really speak to one another. Alexander had tried countless times to get the high priest to join their guild but he always declined with some sort of lame excuse. He seemed like a nice person from what he had seen though. As Kaeru made his way through the peaceful town, he spotted the telltale white robes. The high priest was sleeping soundly under the shade of a tree near the kafra. Kaeru smiled but hated having to wake him up. He looked like he was having quite a good dream.

As he approached him, he sat down by Luzien on the cool grass. "Hey," he prodded the sleeping man, "Luzien, wake up." The man groaned and mumbled something that Kaeru could not quite understand. He poked the sleeping priest again and tried to hold back grin as his hand was swatted at. Well, so much for waking him up nicely. "Luzien!" Kaeru said louder.

The high priest's bright blue eyes opened widely as he abruptly sat up, waving his arms to fend off the dream threat, "I didn't touch her! I promise!"

"Eh?" Kaeru laughed.

Luzien looked at the young priest and sighed, "Oh…was just a dream. She seemed so real. So, what's so important that you had to wake me up? I was really having a good nap," he asked as he tried to smooth his short, disheveled brown hair.

Kaeru mentally cringed as he recalled the situation. "Alexander ordered me to find you." At the mere mention of Alexander's name, the high priest rolled his eyes.

"Oi, that guy is so uptight. What's he want _now_?"

The young priest took a deep breath and retold his story while Luzien listened without interruption. He felt bad for Kaeru because Alex blamed him for everything. In past meetings, Alex never hid the fact that he disliked Kaeru for some reason. There was nothing he could have done in this situation even if he tried. In fact, it was smarter that he left and got help. Unfortunately, it was also a sad fact that Azrielle was in such a bad spot. He has always had a soft spot for her. Not every girl was able to put up with him but she did. Especially concerning church duties. "So he wants me to help get Azi back, huh?"

"I hope you'll help. I can't even imagine Azi getting hurt worse."

Luzien laughed, "Of course I'm going to help. There's one other person I want to bring along though. She'll be a big help but there's also the fact that she scares the living hell out of Alexander. It's great entertainment for me." Kaeru gawked at the high priest. Who would Alex possibly be scared of? Luzien laughed yet again but there was a mischievous tone to it, "Luckily, she lives here in Payon and I think you'll find her very pleasant."

As they stood, Luzien motioned for Kaeru to follow. It was only a short walk to the quaint house near Archer Village. Various gardens of flowers surrounded the place making Kaeru wonder about the person that lived there. She was no doubt going to be pleasant if her gardens were any indication. Luzien did not even knock as he stepped inside the little house. "Oh Angela!" he called.

As they entered a cozy living room, they saw woman with shoulder length blond hair dressed very simply in a modest green dress. She was cleaning vivaciously, obviously trying to remove every speck of dust in the house. "Luz, did you take off your shoes?" she asked without turning. Her house smelled very much like the flowers outside. She must have really liked them but knowing nothing about flowers, he had no idea what type they were.

"Er, yes?" he lied.

"Luuuz!"

"Sorry, sorry. I have a special request." She ceased cleaning and walked over to them. She did not look one bit interested but she smiled politely.

"Not interested," she said flatly.

"Oooh come on. You'll get the chance to aggravate Alexander." Her eyes suddenly brightened. "It's also for a good cause." Kaeru could not help but be impatient. Azi didn't have all the time in the world. He wanted to get to Glast Heim as quick as possible in hopes that Azrielle was all right. There was no room for idle chit chat.

"Um, Luzien, do we have time for this? I'm really worried about Azi and you haven't told me how she," he pointed at Angela, "is able to help even though she said she wasn't interested."

"Oh yeah…forgot that part," Luzien chuckled. Motioning to the woman, he continued. "Angela here is a paladin and a scary one to make angry. Not to mention she _is_ pretty sexy. I can just imagine you in something so much cuter than that thing you're wearing, Angela. Like your birthday suit, you know?" Of course, that comment landed Luzien a nice smack to the face. She muttered something about lecherous priests and crossed her arms. "Heheeeh…ouch," he said touching the red handprint left on his face. "She's a feisty one but she'll be a big help. Don't worry, love, I forgive you."

Kaeru sighed, "We need all the help we can get to kill Dark Lord or at least get him away from Azi, Miss Angela. He captured a friend of mine."

"Oh! Why didn't you say so? Count me in," she smiled, " and don't worry, we'll get her back." She reassured him and planted a kiss on his cheek. It was certainly a fast change of heart. In any case, Kaeru was relieved to add another body to the mission.

"What about me?" Luzien pouted at the unfair treatment. Angela just stuck out her tongue and wandered off to another room, saying she just needed to change. "You need any help in there?" He asked.

"No, Luz!"

"You really _are_ pervert like everyone says, huh?" Kaeru commented as they waited. It was not a particularly priestly quality but not everyone was perfect, he supposed.

"What? Pfft, never," Luzien grinned. He knew full well what people said about him but he thought they were mistaken. He simply had a great appreciation for the female gender. Women just took his "appreciation" the wrong way.

A few minutes later, Angela reappeared in full paladin armor. "Let me get Sunny and we can hurry to Juno. I can't wait to give Alexander hell." The sooner the better. The man was long overdue for a little hell.

"Thanks," Kaeru said. He wondered what she was talking about but figured he would hear about it later.

-----------------

Azrielle woke reluctantly, the pain in her limbs too great to ignore. She tried to sit up but did nothing more than let out a muffled cry. After a moment she remembered the pummeling she took earlier. No wonder she hurt. "Shit…" she groaned as she lay back down on the cold floor. The room was different, smaller. It was just as cold and dark but it seemed safe enough. She hated Glast Heim in all its dreary gray glory. She would have rather passed out in Niflheim.

"Can you heal yourself yet?" a dark voice asked. Must be Dark Lord, she thought. She heard his footsteps approach and he kneeled next to her as he did earlier. "I am rather surprised you are not dead. I suppose it makes you all the more intriguing. You were unconscious for nearly three days." He sounded surprised that she was out for so long like it was unusual to take a punishment like that and not walk away the same day.

"What do you care?" she snapped.

"Rather ungrateful, aren't you?"

She huffed as she looked up at him, "If I remember right, you did something like this to me before, didn't you? Gave a lovely show of magic and beat me into the ground."

He shook his head, "Quite aggressive I see."

"Oh, I wonder why! Just get away from me." She did not want to deal with him now or ever again. His empty crimson eyes never left her. He merely watched her in silence as she worked on healing herself. Sometime later, she sat up with much less pain. She didn't feel great but it was an improvement. Next was to stand up and get out of here. As she attempted, Dark Lord stood as well and extended a hand. "Back off, you bastard," she spat. She did not need _his_ help.

This seemed to break his patience. He grabbed the front of her tattered dress and lifted her off the ground. "You listen to me, priestess Azrielle. I am far stronger than you will ever be and you would do well to remember that I can kill you at any moment," he snarled.

She laughed softly, "So why haven't you?" This was too strange. His face contorted into some unidentifiable expression but he said nothing. "You aren't even sure, are you?"

"You test my patience."

"Why the hell are you even having patience with me? Am I a goddamn toy to you? Tell me already, I'm sick of wondering if I'm going to live or die here!" He looked about ready to throw her across the room but never did. She almost wished he would. Her heart seemed to be beating a million miles a minute and it would not slow down. Dark Lord was just giving her an awful "I should kill you" look but he was not saying anything. He sure didn't know how to talk to a woman, she thought. He was truly beginning to scare her.

The only sound in the chilly room was her ragged breathing. She was so tired…she just wanted to curl up in her bed and sleep forever. Sadly, she did not think it was going to happen anytime soon. She dropped her gaze away from him. "What do you want from me?" she whispered. Suddenly, though still dangling a good foot from the ground, she was pushed quite forcefully against the wall. In the next moment, his lips met hers rather roughly but she would never expect anything softer from him. His mouth, like the rest of him, was pleasantly cool. His free hand caressed her flushed cheek and on down to rest on her waist, causing her breath to hitch. What the hell? Wait, wait, WAIT!

She broke the kiss and pushed him just a little further away. His face remained unchanged but he set her down, "As I mentioned before, you make me do strange things, Azrielle."

"Why can't you just leave me alone?" she asked. She did not want this. She definitely couldn't handle this. Did she just kiss a dead guy? No, he kissed her and she pushed him away…but not as fast as she would have liked. What on earth was she thinking? Oh right, she wasn't thinking.

"I have to leave. I've got to get home," she went on in a panicked tone, "I don't know what you're doing but stop. Please..." she pleaded. He took a few steps back and turned away. This was not going the way he had planned at all. He thought that if he kissed her and got it out of his system, his fleeting thoughts of her would disappear but no, all it did was make it worse.

"Then go priestess. I will see you again. Take it as a promise or a threat," he said somewhat angrily as he strode into the darkness. She dropped to the ground, her heart still hammering in her chest. This was insane. Pulling herself up, she warped back to Juno without a second thought. She forced herself inside the guildhall and closed the door behind her, leaning on it for support while she caught her breath. She was still flushed and breathing heavily despite her attempts to calm herself when she heard footsteps.

------------------

"Mira, go see who is here," Alex ordered. They were preparing to leave shortly for Glast Heim. They had gathered a team of himself, Angela the paladin and Luzien the high priest and a couple others. It should be enough, he thought. The priest had decided to nap as usual and Angela was cleaning. It was an odd sight to see the blond woman in her paladin armor dusting shelves. Suddenly they heard Mira cry out. He rushed to the front door to see her clutching a very worn out Azrielle.

Azrielle hugged her friend, for fear she might faint. "Oh Azi! I'm so glad you're okay. You poor thing. Kaeru's been so worried! Let's get you upstairs," she babbled, "Alex, get her up to her room." Alex nodded and took Azrielle in his arms, carrying her upstairs. As they reached her room, he laid the priestess on her bed. "Now out, Alex."

"What? I need to ask-"

"Out!" He rolled his eyes and closed the door behind him.

"Hey Mira," Azrielle said tiredly. She was so glad to be back home in her own warm bed. She had had enough of Glast Heim for one day.

The wizard smiled and brushed a few silver strands from Azrielle's face. "I knew you were a survivor," she smiled. She had never really lost faith in her good friend but she was scared out of her wits for her. Here she was, though, laying in front of her all in one piece.

"God Mira, I'm worn out."

Taking a seat on the bed next to Azrielle, Mira sighed, "So you'll live?" The priestess nodded with a half smile. "We were worried but you're okay it seems. You just have a streak of bad luck in Glast Heim, don't you? So, Dark Lord really took off with you?" She was quite curious but she also had the urge to lecture the monster. She wouldn't, of course, because that would be suicidal.

"Yeah, _mom_," Azi yawned. She always poked fun at Mira for her motherly concern.

"What did he want?" She really was very concerned as to what went on since Azrielle had been gone. She seemed okay but at the same time, something seemed a little off.

Azrielle raised a sleepy gaze to Mira, "Your guess is as good as mine. Something about me I suppose."

"Crazy world, isn't it?" she laughed. "Maybe he's madly in loooove. I'll bet he wanted to kiss you!" she teased, laughing even harder. She pretty much hit the nail on the head but she would not dare guess what was going on in Dark Lord's head. "I'll bet kissing Dark Lord is gross." She wrinkled her nose at the thought.

"No, really wasn't bad," Azrielle said thoughtfully but completely on accident. She really didn't want to say _that_ out loud. What the hell? Why did she even say that? She kissed a dead guy for heaven's sake! Mira appeared to do a double take of their last exchange of words.

"What?"

"I—um, what I meant…shit." Mira was shocked. Surely Azi didn't do that. She was just tired; it had to be that. The priestess turned bright red and averted her eyes.

"I must've heard you wrong, Azi. You've gotta be tired, you poor girl."

"Well," she began, fumbling with loose threads of her dress, "He looked like he wanted to kill me and I thought he would but he just decided to let me go…" The wizard looked serious for another half second before she nearly burst at the seams with laughter. Azrielle fell back against her pillow and sighed, "I'm glad you can laugh so much while I'm half dead. You're a nutcase."

"It's all just so silly. I am happy you're all right though. Kaeru wants to see you, I'm sure, but I'll have him wait until tomorrow." The priestess nodded as Mira rose and rummaged in the drawers for a clean nightgown and set it on the end of the bed. "Get some rest." It wasn't long before she fell asleep, comfortable and warm.

------------------

Azrielle woke up startled in the middle of the night. She tried to go to sleep again but it would never come. She lay in the dark, staring at the ceiling. With a frustrated moan, she pulled herself out of bed and changed into a fresh uniform. All she wanted was a little rest! Maybe a walk outside would help. Perhaps she was thinking too much and just needed to clear her head. She crept outside, careful not to wake anyone. She walked to a nearby park, watching the stars and the half moon sparkling in the dark sky. Entering the park, she made her way to a fountain in the center that was surrounded by trees. It was a little bit of privacy in a public place.

Azrielle sat on one of the benches around the fountain and took in the sounds of the night. The fountain created a light mist and felt cool against her skin. It was actually very calming and put her busy mind at ease but of course, nothing lasts forever. "I certainly did not expect to find a lovely priestess enjoying the night as well," a male voice interrupted. He had a pleasant and friendly voice but she did not bother turning to see him.

"I couldn't sleep."

"Of course not. Do you mind company?" he asked as he came into her line of sight. He looked to have long dark hair and green eyes. He was, to her satisfaction, pleasing to the eye. His tall form did not give reference to a particular job so she assumed he was just a random, albeit handsome, passerby.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt. What's your name?" she asked as he took a seat next to her. At least he was normal company and not Dark Lord. She just needed to take a break from training all together. She'd relax for a few days before going back out. It was probably just what she needed.

"People know me as Damien. I know who _you_ are though, Azrielle. You are a well known priestess here in Juno," he said quietly, a faint smile never leaving his face.

She smiled in return, "Yeah, so I'm told."

"You're also every bit as beautiful as I have heard and more, despite a few bruises," he said, touching a bruise on her chin, "you must have had a rough day." She grinned and could only imagine how terrible she looked. She had not bothered to run a brush through her hair or anything. As she looked at him, his eyes were frightening yet intriguing. Something about them seemed familiar. She did not really want to dwell on it though because she was already in a weird frame of mind. She was intoxicated by the night air that seemed so much thicker and fragrant than usual. Was it all just in her head?

He leaned over and kissed her cheek gently since there was a bruise there as well. He continued kissing her until he reached her lips. She didn't even think of rejecting the handsome stranger. Instead, she leaned into him, her arms snaking around his neck. She had long forgotten how good it felt to be held and doted on.

He released her from the kiss only to put a silver chain around her neck. She did not pay the necklace much attention because she often received little gifts from people, most thanking her for some task or another that she has done. She only smiled and pulled him closer. It was nice to be wrapped in warm arms, feeling protected and loved.

One of his arms went around her waist and the other rested on her thigh. He trailed small kissed on her neck and up to her soft lips once more. His mouth was cool and oddly familiar. His hand squeezed her thigh and began to wander as their desire intensified. Azrielle did not want to breathe; she did not want him to leave. She hadn't felt such a need in a very long time. Her nails dug into him slightly and it only seemed to make him want her more. His lips, his mouth, those eyes…why were they familiar? She suddenly pulled away from him with a cry. Dark Lord.

She sat up in her bed, chest heaving, her body trembling. It was just a dream. Looking down she noticed that she never changed into the nightgown Mira had gotten out for her but something caught her eye. It was a glint of silver around her neck, "No…no, no, no…" Damn him.

* * *

**A/N**: Haha, Luz is such a perv x.x 


	3. Trust Me

**Trust Me**

Azrielle was far past furious. How dare he play with her mind like that! He was not fully to blame seeing as how she knew what she was doing but still, it felt better to blame him. She climbed out of bed for a second time that night and went to her dresser to grab the small bag containing her blue gems. Tossing a single gem to the floor, a warp portal appeared in a flash of blue light.

Surely she must have been crazy or why else would she go back there? She stepped in and in the next moment, she was outside of Glast Heim...again. She hastily stormed into the abbey, quite sure that the bastard would show himself. As she expected, she saw him leaning casually against a wall. Even in the dim light of the Abbey, she could see the smug though distant expression on his face. It was still a bit odd to see him without his mask. Apparently, he had forgone wearing the thing.

"You trouble me, priestess," he sighed. He seemed to be staring past her, thinking of something else entirely. He had realized one of the reasons why he was so unhappy. For so many years, he continued to do what he had always done as the Dark Lord. Eventually, he had forgotten all feeling. He had become completely numb and _that_ was his ultimate goal in the beginning. Emotion only got in the way of his duty of delivering death to those that entered Glast Heim.

As he became a blank page, he pushed everything else away. He no longer had a need for companionship…or so he thought. After she showed up, things were different and he did not like it one bit. As he looked at her angry face and realized that she seemed to be without fear. The other times he had run into her, he still sensed fear within her but not this time. She was indeed something else.

Azrielle. On that day that she refused to die, something sparked within him. Most like her would cower and pray for death but not her. It was at that moment that the bitter loneliness struck him full force. Ah, yes, that is exactly what it was. Utter loneliness and regret. Every creature he came upon feared him anymore, Azrielle being the exception. Was this why he wanted her so terribly? He thought he had finally lost his remaining humanity a long time ago but perhaps that was not true.

"Is that all you're going to say?" she asked in disbelief. He showed no regret for tricking her but then again…was it possible that she let herself be deceived? Surely not. The idea was preposterous.

"What exactly were you expecting? An apology? I am sorry but I will have to disappoint you because I did specifically what I intended to do. It is not my problem if you are lying to yourself."

"What?" she exclaimed.

He moved from his relaxed position against the wall to stand just inches from Azrielle. He had an idea. He could only see one clear way to resolve this problem of his. "I think death will suit you nicely," he said calmly.

She was about to speak when her world suddenly went black. He caught her as she fell forward. She really did make things difficult but he would not let her go this time. There was only one solution to this problem and it required her death. He had decided that he would never allow her to be with anyone else if he could not have her.

"Selfish, aren't we?" a quiet voice said with a rather amused tone. Dark Lord looked behind him to see the undead priest. The priest often projected his own cynical morals upon him, usually for his own entertainment. He was once a friend but now he was just a nuisance. Much to his dismay, he still tolerated the priest simply because of the past they shared.

"It is none of your concern," he answered, stalking off with the priestess in his arms.

--

Luzien, for once in his life, could not sleep. He tossed and turned in his bed for hours and finally decided that he would take a stroll down to the kitchen. It would still be another hour or so before dawn, but who ever said that two breakfasts were bad for you? He pulled his clothes back on and sauntered down stairs, careful not to wake anyone. To his surprise, Kaeru was sitting at the table, staring out the window. He looked deep in thought but they were not happy thoughts judging by his expression.

"Kinda early, isn't it?" Luzien asked as he took a seat next the younger priest. He actually knew quite a bit about Kaeru through Alexander so there were a number of things that could have been bothering him.

"I don't sleep that well anymore," he sighed, glancing over at Luzien.

"Busy mind?"

"Mostly," Kaeru did have a lot on his mind but it was generally about his family. Perhaps lack of one to be more exact. They existed but they shunned him. The situation with Azrielle had bothered him but having her back and safe was a great relief for him. Still something would not let him let go completely but he ignored it. Now it was back to his old problems. These problems were likely to never be solved and therefore he would never get any sleep. He hated it.

The high priest have a very good guess as to what Kaeru was thinking about, "You know, some people change, some people don't. Unfortunately, I don't think your brother or even your family is gonna change. I know how bad tempered and uptight that guy is and he's _always_ been that way." Luzien had met the Tierce family a few times before and they were exactly like Alexander. Unfortunately for Kaeru, he was born into a family completely different than him.

"It still upsets me." No one in the guild actually knew that Alex was his older brother. He wondered how they never noticed their similar looks but it must have been the drastic differences in their personalities.

The high priest smiled warmly. "It seems like you've got some good friends in this guild though. They're just as good as a real family. Besides, you have a cute wizard with her hands on you every second of the day. I'd like to get my hands on her," he said practically drooling. Okay, okay. So he had a weakness for pretty women, so what?

"Don't get any ideas; she'll fry you to a crisp," Kaeru eyed him. Did he chase after anything with a pretty face? He knew Mira would not tolerate Luzien's advances because she knew exactly what the high priest was like.

"Er…anyway, the thing with Azrielle wasn't your fault, by the way, and there's really nothing you can do about your bad tempered brother," Luzien said, summing up Kaeru's problems. He wasn't exactly the best person to talk to about your problems but at least he tried.

"I know that but I just feel like something is wrong with everything. I don't know," he said making his frustration obvious to the high priest. He just could not put a finger on what was bothering him so much.

"You could take a peek in her room and check on Azi if it's really bothering you. Mira said that Azi was pretty tired so she'll probably be out cold but just fine. I don't think you should worry so much. "

"I still think I wanna check on her real quick," Kaeru said. Luzien nodded and followed him up to Azrielle's room. Kaeru turned the door handle softly and peered into the room. As his eyes took a moment to adjust to the darkness but he realized something was very wrong. He immediately rushed inside and gaped at the empty bed, "She's not here!"

"Oh no, that's not good," the high priest stated the obvious. Grabbing Luzien's robe, he dragged him to Angela's room and nearly broke the door charging in. It would be a surprise if the two of them did not wake up the rest of their guild mates with the noise. Angela awoke instantly as she heard the ruckus in her room. She was instantly livid at seeing the high priest in her room.

"What the hell! Luzien!" she shouted clutching the blanket around her. Luzien's eyes nearly popped right out of his head. Apparently, the lovely paladin slept in the nude. This was a new fact that he appreciated very much. It would make his peeping job a little bit easier, he noted with a lecherous grin. Kaeru promptly turned red at barging in like they just did.

"Why didn't you ever tell me that you sleep naked!" the high priest exclaimed, "I would have liked to know!"

"You pervert!"

"STOP IT!" Kaeru demanded, trying not to let his gaze wander where it should not. It was difficult to do. "Angela, Azi is gone." The paladin's look turned from anger to shock in mere seconds as she took into account what he said.

"You two go wake up Alex and I'll get Mira," she said remaining calm. Panicking never helped any situation. If she was good at anything, it was taking care of business in a calm and collected manner.

"Why can't I go wake up Mira?" Luzien asked. Actually, he did know why she elected to wake Mira instead of him. Angela knew him all too well.

"LUZIEN!"

"Okay! Fine, we'll go wake up the cranky ass knight." The two left Angela's room and walked down the hall to Alexander's door. "You go first," Luzien said quickly.

"What? No way. You go in first," Kaeru argued. They went back and forth for a few minutes until they heard someone clear their throat from behind them. The girls sure were quick.

"You two are SO immature," Mira pointed out. Angela looked equally irritated.

"Fine, _I'll_ go wake him up," the paladin growled.

"Uh oh," the high priest said with wide eyes. Angela was one of those people that had infinite patience and rarely got angry. Unfortunately for Alexander, he had lost her good graces long ago and she had no tolerance for him at all.

Angela practically ripped the door off its hinges and stomped over to Alex's sleeping form. Standing over him, he stirred and slowly opened his eyes. He nearly fell out of his bed when he noticed the angry paladin staring down at him. "Wake up, love, or I'll have to kill you," she said, her words oozing with fake sweetness, she was still very angry with him and that anger never seemed to die down. He immediately sat up.

"W-what is it?" he asked in a startled voice.

"Azrielle is gone."

"What!"

"You heard me. Get your lying, cheating ass up and get dressed," she commanded him. Kaeru watched in amusement as his brother followed her every word with terror in his eyes. The blond woman watched the lord knight's every move in turn. It was so strange that the pleasant, flower-planting paladin was suddenly so frightening. Only Luz seemed to know what made her that way toward Alex.

"If you say a single cross word to your brother, I will shove my sword sideways up yo—"

"Um, Angela, there's no need for that," Luz said hiding a grin. Her temper is what kept Luzien on her good side. He never wanted to be on the receiving end of her rage. It was a very dangerous thing but extremely entertaining to watch when directed at others.

"Brother…?" Mira asked, slightly confused. Who was whose brother?

"Don't worry about that right now," Angela said shortly to the wizard, "Alexander, you've been warned." He nodded obediently and they all looked toward Luzien.

"Ready to go I assume?"

"Yes," the paladin agreed. Seconds later a warp portal to the darkness of Glast Heim opened and the five of them stepped inside. As they strode up the steps to the abbey, Kaeru's worry multiplied tenfold. He thought for sure that Azrielle would have been safe at the guildhall. Angela and Alexander led the way and the other three followed behind, alongside each other, speaking quietly among themselves.

"I'm curious, Luz, what's the deal with those two?" Mira whispered. He grinned and held back a laugh as it seemed innappropriate due to the situation at hand.

"Well, those two were actually a couple once. One night, she got back early from an assignment and found him quite, ah, cozy, with some woman. She was a knight I think. Of course, you may not know that Angela has a famous breaking point in which she'll maim and/or kill anything in her sight," he smiled. He was actually glad for that night to have happened. Alexander didn't deserve her anyway.

"Seriously?" Kaeru gasped in disbelief. He had no idea that anyone would put up with this older brother much less _date_ him. What could the paladin have even seen in Alexander? She was so nice and Alex was just...Alex.

"You bet. Seeing your brother cheating made her snap and she kicked both him and that woman's asses. She beat him up on another occasion too but you'll have to ask _her_ about that. Needless to say, Alex now cowers at her feet and she likes it that way. She thinks he deserves every bit of punishment coming his way. They're not together anymore, of course."

"Wow," Mira said in disbelief. She had not known this. "I think we should concentrate on Azi now though."

They walked cautiously around the dank, dead place for a while with no Azrielle or Dark Lord in sight. "Hey Alex, I think we should go to the church yard," Kaeru suggested timidly. There was obviously no sign of them in the abbey so perhaps checking other places might give them more clues.

"Not until we scour the abbey completely, first. Don't make stupid suggestions," Alex scolded rudely. At once, Angela's blade hovered very near the lord knight's throat. He froze in his tracks, instantly regretting his mouth. The insults just came so naturally that they were hard to stop.

"Didn't I tell you to be nice to him?" He nodded and she replaced her sword back in its sheath. Kaeru sighed as they continued. They would never find Azi at this rate. If they did, it might be too late.

Mira then nudged the priest and signaled that no one was looking at them. "Let's go," she mouthed to him. Carefully, they separated themselves from the other three and headed to the churchyard.

--

Azrielle woke with a throbbing in her head. She was lying on her back on what felt like wooden planks. As she sat up slowly, she saw Dark Lord staring at her from a distance. She felt dozens of eyes on her and she could sense them in the shadows. Ghouls, Wraiths, Evil Druids…the usual. What was he doing this time, she wondered? She had an uneasy feeling in the back of her mind; it told her that something terrible was just around the corner. Just as she was thinking it might not be as bad as she thought, she heard hoof beats. She knew what those were. A band of Abysmal Knights approached Dark Lord. They stood silently behind him, waiting, watching. She could hear something much larger coming from behind them. The shuffle of Khalitzburgs and Raydrics was unmistakable. What did he have planned?

All at once, the wraiths cackled and wheezed as they came from their hiding places. They quieted but never stopped as a much smaller figure approached. She had not even noticed him waiting with Dark Lord. As he closed the distance between them, she noticed iridescent silver hair covering much of his face and the faded black robe that had once been worn by a priest. "Yes…I was once a priest," he whispered. Surely he could not read her mind. Why did she not notice the weirdness of Glast Heim before and stay away? He stopped and turned to look back at Dark Lord. All of a sudden, she realized that she was sitting at the center of a wooden cross.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Our Lord has given a request and you are fortunate to get such a welcoming."

"Welcoming?" she asked again, nearly inaudibly this time. Soon, she saw that monsters from all over Glast Heim were gathering here, surrounding the cross. The cackling wraiths were becoming more and more anxious, their laughter increasing in speed. Rybios and Injustices wandered around restlessly and ghouls stumbled. Other monsters were joining in the horrible laughter creating a deafening and terrifying sound. Then, Dark Lord made his way down the planked walkway, passing the priest and stood above her.

"Get on your knees," he ordered viciously. Azrielle felt compelled to obey knowing that her impending death was not far away. "Priest." The undead priest turned slowly, handing Dark Lord a frighteningly sharp sword. The hilt portrayed a gleaming silver skull and imprinted faces along the handle. The faces carved into the hilt were contorted into expressions of pain and suffering. She peered past the sword and up to the Dark Lord's face. He was completely void of emotion as usual. His crimson eyes were empty and soulless. "I should have done this long ago…Azrielle," he stated in a low, dangerous voice. If he could not have her, then why should anyone else?

"Ugh, what is that noise?" Angela moaned. The noise was very disturbing and she dreaded what it was. "It sounds like it's coming from the churchyard." The paladin was very worried. Glast Heim was a quiet place, no matter the fight. She actually preferred the silence compared to the noise coming from the churchyard. Looking behind her she saw that Kaeru was nowhere in sight. "Luz!" she whispered. He glanced at her but continued walking.

"Hm?"

"Where'd Kaeru and Mira go?" He looked behind them and saw what she did. No priest or wizard. Wonderful. Why would those two have run off? They knew it was dangerous for them since Dark Lord was around somewhere.

"Um…what should we do? It's not like the big oblivious knight up there would even notice," he frowned.

"Just keep going. I'm sure they'll be all right." She hoped they would be.

The priest and wizard knew something was happening in the churchyard but Alex did not believe them so they snuck off. There was not a monster in sight and they were not sure whether that was a good or bad thing. As they reached the entrance, they gasped at what their eyes beheld. The churchyard was filled to the brim with monsters and at the center, they saw them. Azrielle was on her knees and Dark Lord was standing in front of her, sword in hand. "Oh no." Kaeru tried to run for Azrielle but Mira held him back and covered his mouth. They would both die if they tried to go in there.

The priestess had given up. There was no running away from him no matter how hard she tried. She lowered her head in defeat but this seemingly small gesture angered Dark Lord even further. "You mean to tell me that you have no pride left?" he snarled. He expected more from her than this.

Without looking up, she answered softly, "I have enough pride not to run away from death. I thought it was obvious that you'd won so I bow my head. Congratulations." He moved the tip of the blade under her chin and forced her to raise her head.

"It was never about winning or losing. You are not a coward so you will not die like some defeated animal. Any other words?" She thought for a moment and shook her head. With that, he dragged the blade over her skin and clothes until the tip was pointing directly at her heart. The raucous laughter around them grew louder and louder and her heart beat faster and faster as if to give Dark Lord a better target. "To be trusted is a greater compliment than to be loved," he said with a strange smile and drove the blade into her chest.

She had never seen him smile before and it was the last thing she would see. There was silence except the last sigh of breath escaping from the priestess as she went limp, her life fading.

* * *

**A/N**: Well, what were you expecting? Oh, I'm pretty sure you can guess what's coming next but it was fun to leave this chapter ending this way.

R&R please!


	4. Difficult Decisions

**05.31.07**...Edited

* * *

**Difficult Decisions**

Mira and Kaeru watched in horror as Azrielle was executed. Mira couldn't breathe or move as she held Kaeru back. Suddenly she saw a shadow from behind. She and the priest turned slowly to see the undead man. It was the undead priest that had given Dark Lord the sword used to kill their dear friend. "Leave," he said in a grave voice, "or die as well. What is done is done."

The two backed away as two abysmal knights approached threateningly. They had no choice but to find the others. The undead priest reappeared next to Dark Lord once more and looked over the dead priestess. The sword had been pulled from her and her blood was beginning to pool around her, staining her dress. In the back of his mind, the old priest within him was appalled at the situation but that part of him no longer made appearances. "Begin," Dark Lord breathed.

The priest stepped next to Azrielle's body and extended his arms. An eerie bluish glow engulfed her body and worked its way inside of her. The wound in her chest healed and ever so slightly, her eyelids fluttered. Slowly, her chest moved with rhythmic breathing. As the light slowly faded away, the priest stood back. Azrielle's eyes opened but she stayed still and on the ground.

She said nothing for a long time but eventually she sighed, "Why would you kill me and then resurrect me?"

The priest shook his head. "Oh, priestess, you are far from living. I did not resurrect you in the way you are familiar with. You are indeed as dead as the creatures that call this place home."

Her eyes widened and she flashed Dark Lord a confused look but her anger was slowly building. "You said something about trust…_this_ is what you meant?" She held a hand in front of her face, checking for any questionable signs. Her skin was paler than before but she felt the same. "What the hell! I swear that you're the strangest thing I've ever come across! I don't understand a damn thing you do. I don't even want to know what goes on in that head of yours!" she shouted.

"If I must spend eternity with you, priestess, I may have to kill myself," the undead priest groaned in annoyance and disappeared.

"Azrielle-"

"You listen to me! I don't appreciate being killed! You come up with the stupidest notions on how to attract a woman and what's worse, you're willing to kill her to keep her to yourself. You have no idea how much you've pissed me off."

"Will you keep quiet?" he huffed. Who was she to lecture him?

"No--" He silenced her by drawing her in for a kiss. It was quick and purely just to shut her up. She looked sad as he watched her but he didn't know why. "My friends and family…"

"They will deal with it the way all mortals do."

"You're a selfish bastard." She let her head rest on his chest, seeing as how there was really nothing else to lean on, as she sighed, "You really killed me."

"Yes."

"I'm not alive anymore."

"You are one of the undead. Like me, you are stuck between the world of the living and the world of the dead. Our home is here in Glast Heim now and forever."

"Forever is a long time."

"Indeed."

They were silent for a long time. When the frightening mob had dispersed, she looked up at the Dark Lord. There was one thing that she had been wondering about. "What's your name?"

He thought for a long moment and shook his head. "My name is something that should be forgotten. I will never speak it but you may call me what you wish." His name brought nothing good to mind. Only self hate and depression.

"Weird…you know I still hate you." In all honesty, she wasn't sure what she felt. He just took everything she loved away from her yet, hate was somehow too strong a word. She _should_ hate him for what he had just done and all things he had done before. How many people had suffered at his hands when they simply came to train here?

"Perhaps. I suggest you learn to get along with me because you are here to stay, my lovely priestess of the dead."

"I guess I'll call you Damien for now. I liked him because he wasn't a greedy son of a—"

"Be quiet."

Oddly enough she did. Maybe this whole mess was just her imagination. Oh please, she thought to herself. Out of nowhere, Damien began to laugh. He knew he shouldn't but he did. Azrielle took a step back, bewildered at what she was seeing and hearing. "I promise not to kill you again," he said, far too amused about her death for her liking.

"I really don't find that funny," she scowled. "You have a twisted sense of humor." He shrugged, still grinning stupidly. He just made no sense at all and it irritated her.

"Forgive me, Azrielle. My sense of humor has been warped but you see, I truly cannot remember the last time I laughed at anything."

"Sure, go ahead. Laugh at my death! You're such a jerk."

"Azrielle—"

"Shut the hell up!" she shouted. She couldn't believe he found this situation amusing.

"If you keep being disrespectful and ru—"

"I believe I said _shut the hell up_." Right, he was one to speak about respect and rudeness. He was the one that killed her after all. She turned and stalked off angrily.

"What have I done…?" Damien asked himself. He had made yet another mistake.

--

Mira and Kaeru ran as fast as they could to find the others. The young priest wore a blank face but Mira had tears streaking down her face. She had just watched her best friend's murder. They rounded a corner and saw the rest of the group just a few yards away. Alex had a scowl on his face and looked like he was going to reprimand them had he any will of his own. "Where the hell have you two been?" he asked.

The wizard and priest stopped and caught their breath. Mira stepped forward, wiping at her tears. "A-zi…she—t-they—we c-couldn't—" she attempted between sobs. Luzien instantly went to her. He hated seeing women cry. Especially women as cute as Mira.

"Calm down, Mira." She buried her face in his shoulder, unable to stop the tears. He put his arms around her, trying his best to soothe her. The high priest looked at the sullen young man standing a few feet away. "What happened?" Kaeru was staring at the ground but reluctantly moved his gaze to meet Luzien's.

"Dark Lord killed Azrielle," he said simply. There was really nothing more to say. Had they tried to save her, they would have died as well. They were unable to do _anything_ to save her. Even so, he felt such guilt. They should have done something--_anything_. For a while, Mira's soft sobs were the only sounds around them. There was silence among the group, no one quite sure what to say or do.

"Damn that monster…" Alexander finally murmured.

"I think we should leave for now," Kaeru stated in a dull voice. He wanted to find her body so they could give her a proper funeral but the gigantic mob of monsters in the churchyard could easily overwhelm them. Everyone quietly agreed and returned to Juno to relay the sad news.

As the days went by, they had returned to Glast Heim but did not find Azrielle's body. Azrielle did not know that they came because she refused to leave the dark room she locked herself in. Eventually, they gave up and held a simple memorial for the priestess. Days turned into weeks and weeks into months. Things were noticeably quieter within the guildhall but not much had changed.

Luzien and Angela went home soon after the memorial and Alexander returned to his normal self. Kaeru didn't think it was possible but his brother was even more harsh and mean to him than before. This time around, Mira didn't stand up for him. She had taken Azrielle's death very hard and had yet to recover from it.

--

Azrielle could only wonder what had happened to everyone and how they reacted. She didn't want to be the cause of anyone's sorrow. The undead priest had told her recently that a wizard and priest had watched her die. She knew instantly who it was and lamented. She refused to speak to Damien or even be in the same room as him.

She spent her days taking out her anger on the undead, speaking to no one. She realized early on that she had all her normal abilities as a priestess but she also had a newfound power. She had gotten particular joy from a mass slaughter of the undead one day. If she should hurt, they would too. She had never felt such anger within herself before. She was in awe of how much her strength had increased. Perhaps she could put an end to Dark Lord one of these days.

As night fell on Midgard, Azrielle had decided to pay a visit to Kaeru. She had debated doing so for a long time but finally decided to go for it. She was unhappy and she missed so many people. She couldn't see everyone she wanted to because, well, she was dead. She thought Kaeru would probably react the best to seeing her. She arrived in Juno well after midnight and crept inside the familiar guildhall. The more she saw, the more she missed it.

Kaeru had lain awake for a long time but as midnight approached, he drifted to sleep. Something woke him up not long after. It felt like there was something climbing on his bed. As he opened his eyes and sat up, he blinked. He was seeing things…he blinked again. No, either he was crazy or Azrielle was sitting cross-legged at the end of his bed smiling.

"Nope, you're not crazy," she laughed softly. She looked the same as before. She didn't have a healthy tan like she did before but her hair, her eyes and even her personality seemed the same.

"A-Azi…"

"The one and only except...dead. How are you?" she asked. She missed everyone so much. She would be sad to leave again but this would ease her misery a tiny bit.

"I've been better. You know, Mira hasn't gotten over…watching you die." Azrielle was like a sister to them and seeing such a thing happen was traumatic. Kaeru's mourning wasn't as visible as Mira's had been. "Why didn't you go see her instead?"

"I don't think she would take it very well."

"You're probably right. Will you see her eventually?"

The undead priestess nodded. "Of course. I just think that you should tell her that I'll visit her sometime if I can. It would be easier if she were expecting me." Azrielle paused for a moment. Something seemed off in the tone of her friend's voice. "Kaeru, I know something is bothering you other than Mira. I can tell." He went still, very reluctant to tell her what really _was_ bothering him.

"…I think I'm going to leave the guild. My brother worries me and it isn't just the barrage of verbal attacks," he laughed nervously.

"Um, brother? What brother?"

"Oh right, I forgot. I'm still surprised that you never guessed that Alex and I were brothers." He always hated admitting that fact to people.

"What?" she exclaimed rather loudly. She never would have guessed that such a brute would be related to the soft hearted Kaeru. He quickly hushed her and frowned.

"It's true and I still hate him. My whole family loves him though…I'm the one they don't like, remember?"

"So Alex was the one you were always referring to. It makes sense, but why leave the guild?" She was very alarmed with this news. She thought this guild would never fall apart. Then again, she wouldn't be surprised if Kaeru was the only unhappy one. He shifted uncomfortably and spoke in a hushed voice.

"Didn't you know that the king was murdered?" She shook her head in disbelief. Who would kill the king? "Now, his son has replaced him and things have gone awry. He's pulling whole guilds into his service, demanding complete loyalty." Just the thought made him nervous. The guilds had never pulled into the previous king's service like this. I made him wonder just _why_ the new king was doing this.

"Oh no, he'll without a doubt demand this guilds loyalty." The priestess looked extremely worried. "I wish…I wish I were still alive. I wish I could help."

He smiled and crawled over to her and wrapped her in a fierce hug. He noticed how cold she was and he almost recoiled. "We all want you back but it doesn't look like that's gonna happen. I lost a big sister, you know?"

Pulling away from him, she sighed, "I think I should be getting back or that bastard might come looking for me." She had no doubts that Damien really would come looking for her if she was away too long.

"Bastard? You mean Dark Lord?"

"Right."

"So you spend your days with him and the dead?" he asked, disdain sounding clearly in his voice. If he were capable of killing the monster, he would in a heart beat.

The mere thought of Damien made her angry. She would likely never forgive him nor ever _want_ to forgive him. "I spend my days killing the undead and ignoring _him_. You have no idea how much I want to leave that place. The only problem is that I don't really have anywhere else to go."

"What did he want with you in the first place?"

"He's madly in love with a priestess that hates him," she laughed weakly. It sounded sort of funny saying it out loud.

Kaeru covered his face with his hands. "That is _so_ creepy." He was curious nonetheless. There was also the fact that he knew Azrielle had tried to stay away from romantic relationships for quite a while. She had been scarred bad enough from the last one she had.

"You know, when I was alive, he kissed me."

"Ugh! Azi, that's disgusting."

"No, I think if I got past the fact that I hated him, I might have enjoyed myself." She did find it sort of funny, but she was supposed to loathe Dark Lord and she did. It still didn't change the fact that he wasn't that terrible of a kisser.

He looked absolutely horrified at the notion. "You kissed a dead guy! How is that not gross?"

"Try it sometime." Her mouth seemed to be running away with her. "Er—never mind that." If he didn't know better, Azi did have a thing for Dark Lord but since she was dead now, he supposed there wasn't really a problem other than her despising him. It didn't necessarily mean she had an emotional need for him, just physical maybe. Eh, Azrielle or not, there was a dead priestess on his bed…weird.

"Are you going to visit again?" he asked hopefully.

"Eventually."

"What if I do leave? How will you find me?"

"Trust me," she smiled, "I'll know. Until then, do what you have to do and what you think is right. " She stood up and promptly disappeared. Kaeru sat for a few minutes, his decision mulling in his mind. He knew he had to leave the guild soon but could he truly do it?

--

Azrielle returned to Glast Heim a short time later to find the cynical dark priest sitting lazily on the steps in front of the abbey. He looked at her blankly and yawned, "What were _you_ doing out this late?"

"None of your business." She rolled her eyes and strode up the steps but he grabbed her ankle to stop her as she went by. "What are you doing, you dumb priest?" she asked. They never did have a particular liking for one another. He was just as bad, if not worse, than Damien.

"When are you going to make up with Dark Lord?" He stared up at her, waiting for an answer. His former friend's brooding was worse than ever and it was getting on his nerves.

"Never." He released her and she stomped up the steps, intending to take her anger out on some unsuspecting wraith or ghoul.

It seemed he had made a dreadful mistake in bringing Azrielle to the realm of the dead. He observed her from a distance as she destroyed anything she came across. She had certainly found her power and learned to use and control it well. He noticed a Dark Illusion catch her eye and she obliterated it without a second thought. It was obvious that she was unhappy and he had no idea what to do about it. He couldn't press her to acknowledge him and he couldn't force her to do anything.

She sent a glare in his direction before she disappeared. She knew that he watched her most days.

--

Kaeru woke the next morning and found Mira in her study as usual, her face concealed by a large dusty book. "Morning Mira."

"Hey Kae." She closed the book and they watched as the book emitted a cloud of dust. Moments later the wizard sneezed pushed the book away from her. Fanning the air, she tried to wave the dust away but it only managed to make her sneeze again. Kaeru chuckled as he watched her sneeze repeatedly. After a minute, the air cleared and she heaved a sigh. "Ugh…I hate those old books."

"I have something you might wanna hear."

She raised a quizzical brow wondering what he knew that she didn't. "Well? What is it?" He moved over to her desk and spoke in a more hushed voice. He didn't think anyone else ought to know what he was going to tell her.

"You might not believe me but I saw Azi last night." Her eyes widened and she grabbed his arm.

"Like a ghost?"

"No, she was solid and looked like herself. She just happens to be dead. She said she would visit you sometime."

"I miss her," Mira said sadly. Things just weren't the same without their friend around. "Oh, Kaeru, the guild has been officially summoned by the king to appear at the castle in Prontera in one week." She couldn't imagine anything good coming from that meeting.

"No, not now…Mira, I have to leave the guild. I can't be apart of whatever is coming. I just feel like something terrible is going to happen. I just hope it won't escalate to something worse."

"You're going to leave! What about Alex?" She knew that their guild leader would never forgive him. She leaned back in her chair, trying to decide where her own place was. Mira suddenly felt miserable. She knew she pledged herself to the guild and she could not leave. She too had a sense of duty and would never go against it unless it was necessary.

"Alex is so duty driven that he'll do anything the king asks and I know that the new king is not planning something good."

"I have to stay…" There were more reasons to her own decision but those she couldn't tell Kaeru. At least not yet. If she told him her other reasons, he would worry and she couldn't have that. _Worrying is my job_, she thought to herself.

"But why?"

"I just have to, Kae." He looked away from her, knowing that if his intuition was right, they were likely to be on different sides of this whole mess. He knew he wouldn't be able to change her mind.

"I'm leaving right now. I'm going to find Luzien. I know he's too lazy to even pick a side so he might be able to help me. Mira, I'm going to miss you..." he trailed off. Why couldn't she just come with him? All she did was stand slowly and walk out of the study and down to her room without a word. She didn't think he would actually leave on his own but Kaeru was full of surprises sometimes. At least she knew he would be safe at Skyhaven. It was probably best not to let him know that she had planned to send him off to her cousin's guild anyway.

In fact, it was about time that Luzien should have arrived.

"So you're leaving?" another voice said. Thankfully, it wasn't Alex. Jared, newly an assassin cross strode silently into the study. He was without his mask so his unhappy expression was visible. "You think you can do it?"

"Of course I can."

"I'm also leaving. I'm tired of Alex's stupid antics and his attitude. I've been offered "jobs" elsewhere but I won't forget your debt to me." His dark brown eyes narrowed, glaring at the priest. Oh yes, Kaeru had a large debt to pay.

"W-what?"

"My katars." How did Jared find out about _those_? Kaeru was mystified.

"Yeah, I knew it was you and Azi all along; I just never said anything until now."

"Oh crap…sorry."

"Worry about it later. That retarded high priest is downstairs looking for you."

"He is?" Luzien was lucky Alex was out at the moment. No doubt, he would have set to work pressuring the high priest to join their guild. The assassin nodded and left the room. Kaeru made his way downstairs and saw Luz lounging on the couch.

"Hey!" he said brightly to the younger priest.

"I was about to leave and look for you."

"Smart guy. I gotta get you out of this place. I came by some reliable information about the king and it is _not_ good. I've got a great place to stick you for the duration of this…this thing. Not sure what to call it just yet." He knew exactly what is would be called in a matter of months if rumors were true. "We're leaving now. C'mon." Reluctantly, he followed Luz outside and through the quiet streets of Juno. Some time later, they ended up in front of a bookstore where two high wizards were waiting.

One was a tall, serious faced man with black hair and glasses over light hazel eyes. He looked to be no more than twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. The second was a fairly short woman with a fierce gaze. Her long honey brown hair was tied back revealing her sharp but pretty features. "About time, Luz," she said.

"Well here he is. I think you'll be pleased with his potential."

The two wizards looked him over and the man spoke articulately, "My name is Vance and this is Corinne," he gestured to the woman.

"Hello," she smiled. It instantly warmed her rather icy expression as she sized him up. He looked a little uncomfortable to her. He lacked confidence, she could tell.

"I'm Kaeru and Luz has yet to explain where I'm going and why. He usually forgets that sort of thing," the priest noted. Luzien gasped and tried to look offended. If only it wasn't true. He never took criticism very hard so things people said, good or bad, didn't affect him very much.

"I do no such thing," Luz pouted.

Vance managed to crack a smile, "You're coming with Corinne and I. For the time being, you'll join my guild."

"Be warned, our guild is a guild solely for mages and wizards," Corinne laughed softly. "We have reasons for letting you in." The priest looked at Luzien and the high priest shrugged. This was a twist of events he hadn't expected when he decided to leave Alex's guild. They seemed to know something he didn't, but he wasn't exactly worried. At least he had a place to go.

"Luzien, warp please," Vance requested.

"Sure thing," he answered and moments after, the bluish white light of the warp portal opened. He prodded Kaeru into the portal and the wizards followed. As they appeared in their destination, they saw that they were in a forest clearing and a large stone building loomed in front of them.

"This is our guildhall, Kaeru," Corinne mentioned as they began walking toward the building. "Welcome to Skyhaven."

Vance pushed open the heavy stone doors, which Kaeru thought it was an odd material for a door, and led them through the foyer and into a spacious main living area. The floors and walls were stone also, the priest noticed. In one corner to their right, there were two tables occupied with mages who seemed to be listening intently to a high wizard. The area to their left that was a living area with two couches and a large fireplace. There were shelves and shelves of books lining a good portion of the walls. A few wizards and mages were strung out around the rest of the room.

"You have to be aware of your surroundings at all times, Kaeru," Vance warned and as if on cue, a fire ball flew past them and burst into a shower of flames against the wall, nearly scorching Luzien. The high priest had frozen in place, eyes wandering to the source of the spell.

"Sorry!" a girl called. They looked to see that the culprit was no more than an eleven or twelve year old mage. Luzien and Kaeru look at the wall next to them, noting the large blackened circle. Now that would have stung a bit.

"This is also why most of the building is made of stone. It won't catch fire," the high wizard chuckled. "Corinne? Could you go show her how to control that?"

"Sure."

"Sooo…I'm staying here then?"

"That's the plan."

"Why here?" the priest asked curiously. Vance looked surprised that he didn't know and turned his exasperated gaze toward Luz. What were they going to do with that high priest? He wasn't sure how people were able to put up with him sometimes.

"You forgot to tell him that too?"

"Oops…"

"I'm beginning to wonder how you got to be a high priest. Kaeru, you're a decent priest, I'm sure. The fact of the matter is that you have far more potential to be a wizard and we're going to begin training you tomorrow."

"Um…okay." How strange. Why would they think that about him though?

* * *

**A/N**: The next chapter will be mostly new material! I'm filling the big gap I left between this chapter and the old chapter 5.


	5. Changes

**07.10.07**..._This is the new chapter 5_. The beginning and middle are brand new but the last 650 words or so are from the end of the old chapter 4.

* * *

**Changes**

It had only been three weeks since arriving in Skyhaven but the atmosphere was so different here. Alex's guild, though having relatively friendly members, had a somewhat cold and uninviting feeling. Skyhaven felt so much more lively and warm. "Kaeru! Don't be late!" He glanced to the source of the voice and saw one of the mages waving to him. They were outside enjoying the weather and practicing a few techniques and new spells. To be honest, he felt a little silly that he was taking lessons with young kids. Some were even better than he was at magic. Well, maybe just more experienced.

The thing was, he had to start somewhere. He stood and dusted a few loose blades of grass from his new uniform. He thought he looked ridiculous but he was now a mage after all. "C'mon, c'mon!" the girl urged, pulling on his sleeve. She was one of the older mages among her peers but she had grown rather attached to Kaeru in the short time he had been in the guild. "We are going to get this spell down _today_, no matter what, okay?" she added, a serious look in her dark brown eyes.

"I'm coming, Zahra, I'm coming and yes, we will," he laughed as he let himself be pulled along. They followed a few others through the stone doors of the guildhall and up the main stairs and into a small classroom at the end of the hall. Surprisingly, Corinne was waiting for them at the desk in front of the room.

"Corinne? Where's Sarah today?" Kaeru asked, scratching his head. The other students were giving the high wizard equally questioning looks. She gestured for them all to take a seat and stood up, moving around to the front of the desk.

"Miss Sarah was called to Geffen for some reason or another. Until she gets back, I'll be filling in for her." Corinne looked around the room and nodded. All but two of the eleven in the class were no older than ten. The odd two were Kaeru and a girl with short black hair. She was relatively new so she hadn't had the chance to learn the girls name yet. It was unusual, though, to have a novice mage at that age. "What's your name?" she asked the girl sitting next to Kaeru.

"Zahra Nejem. I'm from Morroc," she answered without missing a beat.

"You just recently became a mage, didn't you? Why the long wait?"

The Moroccan teen shrugged. "I just didn't want to become one until_ I_ wanted to. Not when everyone else wanted me to. Besides, I'm in no hurry. I'm only sixteen so I've got lots of time." Corinne smiled at the answer and grabbed a clipboard from the desk with the lesson plan written on it.

"So you're all learning about the napalm beat and soul strike spells? Is everyone able to perform the spells at some level?" Several heads bobbed up and down in acknowledgement. Personally, those were a few of her favorite spells because they were so unique. "Anyone who can't?" Reluctantly, two hands were raised. Kaeru and Zahra of course.

The lesson was simple and with their determination (and a little help from Corinne), they successfully cast the spell. It was the first milestone for Kaeru. He didn't just cast the spell, he cast it _well_.

--

Mira sat in the study as usual, flipping through a book. She had found it increasingly difficult to concentrate during the last three weeks. Her two best friends were gone and the guild felt so empty and dark. Not only that, but Alexander had started asking people for Kaeru's whereabouts. People thought the priest had left to train but he was never gone for more than one or two weeks. In fact, Alex had said he needed to talk to _her_ about Kaeru. She didn't feel at all up to it.

Setting the book back on the shelf, she took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes. It was getting late, she noticed. "Mira," came the voice she dreaded. The wizard was hoping he'd wait until tomorrow to bother her about Kaeru.

"A little late for a chat, isn't it Alex? It's after midnight." She placed her glasses back on and turned to face the knight. His expression was anything but pleasant. "Well," she began quietly, "since you're here, what do you need?" She wouldn't tell Alex where Kaeru had gone or that she had arranged it. It would only infuriate the lord knight and she didn't want to deal with his temper.

"I know that _you_ know where Kaeru is and what he's doing. Tell me."

She wasn't surprised that he went straight to the point. "It doesn't really matter you know." She leaned against the wall and closed her eyes. _Please let this be over soon_, she thought to herself.

Alex was not pleased with that response. He gripped her arms firmly, his gaze darkening. "I know for a fact that he's left the guild for good and without my permission. I have a feeling that you know exactly where he has gone. So tell me, Mira, where is he?" His voice was reaching a low and dangerous tone. She was relatively sure that Alexander would not hurt her, but she was not reassured.

If she could do anything for Kaeru, she could protect him until he could protect himself. The best thing she could do was give him enough time to do so. She took a deep breath and pried Alexander's bruising grip from her arms. "I don't know." A displeased scowl crossed his face as he slowly turned and stomped out of the room.

She was indeed loyal to her guild, but she was most loyal to her friends and family. Alexander was neither family nor friend.

--

After so much trial and error, Kaeru had finally found his place and what he excelled in. It seemed that after figuring out the soul spells, everything came to him naturally. He asked Corinne and she explained why.

_"Assuming you're like most students, you haven't read in depth about your spells."_

_He shook his head. He had only studied what he was told to study. She continued after a moment._

_"The soul spells are much different than your normal elemental spells. You cannot manipulate them like the elements around you. At least not yet. Typically, wizards don't learn to manipulate them, only scholars. The soul spells require you to use your very spirit to attack. This is why those spells are more affective on our ghostly or formless targets and more taxing on us physically. Questions so far?"_

_"Nope, it's pretty easy to understand," he replied._

_"Many students have trouble figuring those spells out because they can't always harness control of their spirit. Once you find out how to control it, then everything else becomes easier to control. That is why your elemental spells seem easier to cast. I must say, though, that you impressed me with your soul strike spell."_

_"Why?"_

_"Most students can grasp the concept and cast the spell. You can do that too. What impressed me was the amount of strength behind your attack. You were able to harness your spirit better than most mages can in the beginning. It takes quite a bit of energy so be careful until you're used to it."_

After that, he decided he was going do some in depth research on their spells. It was only then that he realized how potentially dangerous their magic use could be if not controlled. He didn't want to hurt anyone because he couldn't control his abilities so he took measures to make sure he knew what he was doing.

At two months, he could cast his basic elemental spells with ease and proficiency. This was because he spent every waking moment practicing and practicing. He was more determined to succeed as a mage than he had ever been as a priest or a swordsman. He figured it was because he was never really good at either of those job classes.

At five months, he had learned to manipulate his basic elemental spells and control them like second nature. The spoken incantations gave him no trouble either. Unlike his skills as a priest, his magical skills as a mage felt _right_. They felt as if they were part of him, an extension of himself. His priest skills had always felt somewhat foreign.

Now they were at eight months. Eight months of back fired spells and nights of no sleep due to studying were paying off. Vance wanted to make him a wizard. Kaeru wasn't so sure about that but here he was, standing with Vance in Geffen Tower with Zahra clinging to his arm. She refused to stay at Skyhaven when she found out what Vance had planned. "Vance, I agree that I've been doing a lot better than I imagined but this...I can't."

Zahra gawked at Kaeru's lack of confidence. He had been doing so well, she thought. She grabbed a handful of his shirt and pulled him down to her eye level. "Don't you even start with that stuff. You know exactly how well you've been doing. Don't be a chicken."

Vance tried to hide an amused smile but not well enough. He knew that Kaeru lacked self-esteem from what Mira had told him. During the last eight months, he had seen the proof. However, he had also seen a considerable boost in the younger man's confidence when he succeeded. Vance was actually in awe as to how well Kaeru caught on to things when he had gotten over his first bump in the road.

There was one thing, or person rather, that had always been able to help Kaeru out of a rut. Zahra was apparently a very beneficial friend for the young man. "I agree with Zahra. We both have complete faith in you. I would never have suggested this if I didn't think you were ready for it." Kaeru looked toward the door that lead to the testing area anxiously. Maybe he _could_ do this.

"Just gooo!" the mage urged him, nudging him toward the door. He sent her a weary look and she simply smiled. Turning to face the door, he reached for the handle and disappeared a moment later. "Finally! I thought he'd never get in there." Zahra wasn't at all jealous that Kaeru has surpassed her in skill so quickly. In fact, because of this fact he helped her quite a bit. She didn't mind spending a little extra time with him at all.

Then she heard Vance laugh quietly. She glanced over at the high wizard, wondering what he found so funny. "You have a crush on him, don't you?" he asked. Her eyes widened in surprise.

"I uhh..."

"He's a little old for you, isn't he?" She was about to turn seventeen whereas Kaeru was twenty-three. He found it amusing. Despite age, the two were very different.

"Nah," she grinned. "I don't mind waiting until I'm eighteen, but don't tell him! Say, how hard is the test?" She wouldn't be able to test for quite a while but she was curious nonetheless.

Vance wasn't sure what to tell her though. Kaeru was not taking the typical test. "The one you'll take or the one Kaeru is taking?"

Zahra didn't know how to take that question. Vance seemed to have something planned and she was certain that Kaeru probably wouldn't like it. "What's the difference?"

Vance shrugged and glanced toward the door. He hoped he had not made a bad decision. "Kaeru is taking a far more difficult test. I have no doubt that that he'd pass the normal one but felt that he needed to be challenged. I hope he doesn't get hurt too badly..." Vance was sure that Kaeru would come out successful but not unscathed.

"Crap," was all Zahra said in response.

--

Things had not improved between Azrielle and the undead of Glast Heim. Dark Lord had tried to speak with her on a few occasions, but ultimately it was a pointless venture. She just refused to speak to him or even be in his presence. This troubled him greatly. Finally, he broke down and sought out the dark priest. Now, here he was in one of the rooms the priest frequented.

There wasn't much other than a table and two chairs. A tattered bible lay in the middle of a table next to a lit candle. In one of the chairs sat the priest. Dark Lord had actually been sitting for quite some time not saying a single word. He was too irritated by the smirk on the priests face. "So," the priest began as his fingers moved over the rough surface of the bible and opened it to the first page, "what is it that you need?"

Damien could tell the priest was in a strange mood. "I need to fix things with Azrielle." The priest flipped a few pages of the bible and pointed to a particular line. Damien dared to read the line pointed out to him: _Thou shalt not kill_. "Do you _want_ to make me angry? If you are, you had better think twice, because you are just as guilty as I am of breaking that rule."

"I know. It makes just me think sometimes. I know you aren't very religious but you did have morals at one time. I wish there was a way to change things, but it is a vain hope. I only have regret." The priest flipped a few more pages of the book and sighed. He knew every page backward and forward and it only served to depress him. His conscience came back to haunt him long ago.

"I would like to say that I feel the same...but I don't. I feel no remorse for anyone that I hurt."

He should have expected the lord knight to answer that way. Something occurred to him just then. "If you feel no remorse, then why do you want to fix things with the priestess? I wonder about you sometimes. You often say one thing and do another. I realize that she fascinates you, but _why_? Are you looking to love her or do you just want comfort? Pity?"

The lord knight rolled his eyes and shoved the bible off the table. It landed with a loud thud. "Speak to her. At the very least I want to make peace with her."

"You didn't answer my question..." the priest said with an annoyed tone. He crossed arms, now unwilling to help. "Why should I help you when you act so uncivilly toward me? I asked a question that should not have elicited such a rude reaction. If anything, you might brush up on your manners."

"Manners? _You_ speak of manners when in life you had none? You--"

"I should have listened to Van--"

"Speak his name and I'll send you to hell," Damien growled.

The dead priest stood up and walked out of the room. He couldn't sit there and argue with the man. It helped nothing. The lord knight had changed so much that it was difficult for them to even have a conversation. _Perhaps Azrielle could change this_, he thought. She was, after all, the thing that was making the lord knight sulk more than he ever had. If he could get a few words out of her other than insults, she could possibly do something about his former friend.

As he made his way down the dark hallways, he found her praying in the chapel. As a priest himself, he decided not to interrupt her. Instead, he stood a few feet behind her until she finished. It wasn't long before she sighed and turned to face him. "What _now_?"

He shrugged. How should he even begin this conversation? He was quite sure she wouldn't want to talk about Dark Lord. "I am getting extremely irritated with Dark Lord. I need you to make peace with him so I do not get driven insane...again." That may not have been the best way to start the conversation judging by her darkening expression.

"What in God's name is your problem? Why would you come to bother me about _that_? Frankly, I don't care if he's getting on your nerves. You two deserve to be miserable."

The priest groaned and took a seat on the nearest pew. "Why can't you just make peace with him? It would benefit not just me, but all of us here." He failed to see why it was so difficult. All she had to do was tolerate Dark Lord's presence. Azrielle's expression changed again to something unidentifiable.

"You're all heartless...inhuman. The two of you take everything away from me and expect me to just forgive and forget? I'm miserable and will be for eternity I imagine all because he's a selfish bastard." She tried not to think about her situation most of the time because it was depressing. Unfortunately, there was no way out. There was no happy ending.

For once in his undead life, the priest took a moment to consider her feelings. She did have a point. He would never have dreamed of being so cold in life. However cold he may be now, he could relate to her problem. He went through the same thing she was all those years ago. In fact, it was the reason he was the way he was now. "I really don't know what to tell you."

"I don't know either. I wonder, though, just how many people he's murdered. How many families has he ruined with those deaths?" Truth be told, she didn't really want to know. It was far too sad. She could only imagine how many had suffered at his hands.

"No one really knows what goes on in his head. He refuses to speak to me or anyone else about the past or himself. Glast Heim had a tragic end and it shall always remain as such. Perhaps, if at all possible, just speak to him. I do believe that is all he wants for the moment." The priest paused and smiled faintly. "Despite our appearances, we were good people long, long ago. I believe you made him realize that he misses the person he used to be. I know I do."

"I guess things couldn't possibly get worse. I'll think about it." She certainly wouldn't promise anything but she didn't want things to remain as they were and be miserable forever.

--

Zahra jumped as the door swung open and Kaeru stumbled out of it. It had been roughly an hour of nonstop moving and casting. Numerous creatures had been summoned and none of them were pleasant. Kaeru turned Vance with an accusative gaze. "What did you _do_? That was _not_ the test people have told me about." He shut the door behind him and leaned against it tiredly.

Vance simply looked away guiltily, busying himself with a nearby bookshelf. "Are you okay? You don't look too bad," the female mage noted at she pulled at his singed clothing. Suddenly he jerked away from her with a pained look on his face. "Crap! Sorry Kae!" Zahra gingerly pulled his sleeves up to reveal several large welts. "Ouch."

"Something with tentacles didn't like me. So Vance, what's the deal?" The high wizard peered over his shoulder and placed the book back on the shelf. He had hoped that Kaeru wouldn't catch on.

"I may have asked them to give you a slightly more difficult test. You passed though, right?"

"Yeah...why the harder test though? I'm sure in all your infinite wisdom you have a _good_ excuse for doing this?"

"Ah! Congratulations Kae! You did it! You did it!" Zahra squealed and wrapped Kaeru in a hug.

"You've been learning so fast that I wasn't sure how you'd do. I had faith in you though. I'd be doing you a disservice if I didn't let you take a test you weren't ready for. I guess I should treat you two to dinner since I sort of kept things from you?" Both Kaeru and Zahra nodded and prodded the high wizard out of the room.

--

The air within Glast Heim was still as always and forever silent. It was a lonely place when you weren't there for training. The creatures of the city didn't bother her these days. Neither did Dark Lord. Azrielle didn't like the desperate feeling of need she had as she walked down empty streets. Her footsteps were soft, but they were the only noise. It wasn't long before a second set of footsteps joined hers. She stopped and glanced behind her.

"I gathered some information I thought you would like to know. I have not come to bother you," Dark Lord said. He didn't want to upset her and make things worse. He thought that getting information about Midgard's situation might get her to tolerate him at the very least. "It's about Midgard."

She took a few steps toward him. Rather than looking at him, she focused on the decaying buildings to their sides. She was still holding a grudge "What is it?"

"I looked into the situation and found that there is unease all around Rune-Midgard. The guilds are becoming divided. There are those that have agreed to support the king and those that are suspicious of him. Nothing has escalated, but people grow more uneasy by the day." Dark Lord was disappointed that she refused to even look at him.

After a long silence, she slowly lifted her stony gaze toward him. "Thank you. I do appreciate you letting me know what's going on out there."

"You are most welcome. I will keep you informed if I find out anything new." He turned and began to walk away. It had gone far better than he thought it would.

"Damien?" He stopped and glanced back at her.

"I'm sorry for being such a jerk to you," she clasped her hands together, trying to think of how not to explode angrily at him. "You have to understand how much you've hurt me though. I just...I don't know how to deal with it. I'll try not to cause anymore trouble at least." There. Maybe the priest would leave her alone about the subject since she was trying to keep the peace.

He knew she was absolutely right. The monster within him refused to admit the fact, but she was right nonetheless. "You should not apologize. It's my own fault that you feel that way." She gave him a faint smile and continued down the street.

Things continued this way for quite some time…until he overstepped the very thin line that had developed and made her angry. Sometimes, he would say the wrong thing and she would storm off. Other times, she would give him a small smile. Whatever he did wrong, she always forgave him and he always brought her news of Midgard's situation.

Unfortunately the situation seemed to grow more volatile by the week and Azrielle began to fear the worst.

--

It had been over a year since Azrielle had visited Kaeru last. She really missed him. Since he had clued her in on the trouble of Midgard, she had watched things change from a distance. Apparently, the king wanted to have control over every single guild as his personal army. Simply put, he wanted to gain complete control over everyone and everything.

Obviously, he didn't think that people would ever go against him but people did. There were various guilds banding together but unfortunately, the king's army was still growing frighteningly large. The opposing force was not. The only problem that remained was _why_. Why did he need this control?

Some thought the new king was just too young and wanted too much. It had surely come to this because of one man's selfish ambition. The thought of warring guilds saddened her. It just didn't seem right. She speculated the fate of her old guild and figured it was still around but she knew that Kaeru had left and Mira had stayed. All she knew what that he was living with a guild called Skyhaven outside of Geffen.

Night had fallen some time ago and as she stood outside of the Skyhaven guildhall, she realized that this was no small, unknown guild. At least he would be well protected here. She crept inside and marveled at the sheer size of the place. She decided she would have to wander around to find Kaeru. She had been walking around for a good half hour when she heard a voice and froze. "Who are you?" Were they talking to _her_?

"I asked you a question," the voice said sternly. It was a male voice, young and falsely brave. She smiled and turned around. He was just a mage and she meant him no harm. She supposed that in these times you couldn't always trust everyone. Even a priest.

"I'm not an enemy if that's what you're asking," she answered. Even if he did have the gall to attack her, she could fend him off without hurting him. Out of nowhere she felt a pair of hands grip her shoulders firmly, causing her to jump.

"Michael, go back to bed, she's not here to hurt anyone," a familiar voice said jovially. She turned around and her jaw dropped. Dark brown hair, longer than she remembered, and the same blue-gray eyes. High wizard. Wait—_what_? "Kaeru!" she yelled excitedly. "You're—how—I'm so lost."

"Shh! Don't wake everyone up." He couldn't hide his grin if he tried. It was certainly a relief to see her again.

"How did this happen? It's been a year and four months since I saw you and now you're a _high wizard_? Oh wow…that's just incredible. " She was both amazed and proud. It was about time something good like this happened to him. "Kaaaae!" She hugged him tightly and kissed him on his cheek. He laughed and pried her away to get a look at her.

"How's the creepy place of doom?" he asked.

"Terrible. I think Damien—er, Dark Lord, has given up on me though." She had mixed feelings on the matter she realized. "It's so odd being dead though. I've been watching this stupid conflict from the outside and it just makes me mad," she added to change the subject.

"It's horrible but we've tried to stay out of it. I don't think we can for much longer. Must be nice to not have anything to do with it, dead girl," he snickered. He hadn't had the chance to tease her about it yet. It never seemed appropriate before.

"Hey! You shouldn't make fun of me because I'm dead. It's not nice," she poked him playfully.

"Dead…?" they heard the mage Michael say. Apparently, he hadn't left.

"Um…" Azrielle wasn't sure what to tell the boy. Suddenly the whole building seemed to shake. The sky outside looked like fireworks. It looked like…a meteor shower? People began to emerge from their rooms, the younger ones panicking.

"Kaeru!" Vance yelled from down the hall. He held his glasses in one hand, waving the other to get their attention. He rushed to a nearby window and saw a large number of wizards casting various spells against the building.

* * *

**A/N**: R&R?


	6. Revelations

**07.10.07…Revised**.

* * *

**Revelations**

The hallways were chaos with frantic people. Vance had made his way over to Kaeru and Azrielle, absolutely livid. Corinne followed soon after and was a bit calmer than their guild leader. "Corinne, round up the mages, get them to a safe room, and keep them calm." She was never one to lose her temper so she was a great asset to Vance in managing the guild.

"You got it," she replied and went about gathering the young spell casters in the hallways. It took her a little longer than she wanted because some of them were very young and rather panicked. Luckily, they knew to follow her orders or face consequences later. Both she and Vance did not tolerate disobedience. Especially in a situation like this.

"Kae, you and I have business to take care of. It looks like they had only had two high wizards and the rest were just normal wizards. We can definitely best them in skill." He then looked at Azrielle, "You can heal still, right?"

"Erm—yeah." Why wouldn't she?

"I suppose it's good to see that death hasn't lessened your usefulness." The priestess flashed Kaeru a how-did-he-know look and he just shrugged. He found more and more these days that people knew more than you thought sometimes.

"You two come with me," he ordered. They followed, going up a flight of stairs where they saw a group of four other high wizards looking out a window at the assailants. The building was shaking with the bombardment of magic outside. The walls were sturdy but they wouldn't last forever. "Lina, what have you noticed about them?" Vance asked the red headed woman of the four.

"Ah, we can easily get rid of them but the high wizards might be a little more trouble. Easy enough though I think since we outnumber them by a lot."

"They seriously underestimated our guilds strength." Their leader frowned though they clearly had the upper hand. "It will be to our advantage this time. I still can't believe they've actually attacked us."

"Vance, what do you want us to do?" Kaeru asked.

"Darren, Nolan, Kaeru, and I are going to the roof. Lina, Paul and the priestess, I want you to gather a group of wizards. We will begin the attack and draw their attention toward us. When we have their attention, I want your group to begin casting from the ground. They'll be easily overwhelmed. Priestess," Vance eyed Azrielle, "keep them healed and do what you can to help."

The High wizards were in agreement and went to do as they were told. Vance's group headed to the roof and looked out toward the attackers. Vance turned his eyes toward the two youngest, Kaeru and Darren. "Cast storm gust whenever you're ready."

The two young men moved forward and held out their arms. Kaeru closed his eyes, concentrating. Moments later, snow and ice fell from the air onto their enemies. Nolan and Vance in turn cast thunderstorm, made even more effective with the others casting storm gust. Bolts of lightning struck from above, causing shouts of pain and alarm. The wizards below looked to the roof to see four figures above them. They immediately changed the direction of their casting to the roof instead of the sides of the building.

Lina's group took the confusion of their enemy as a signal and surrounded the attackers with numerous firewalls. "Cast away!" the high wizard yelled to the wizards under her command. Azrielle cast kyrie eleison and suffragium to aid the wizards. She stood behind, watching them work with interest. She herself had learned a few things about magic from Mira.

It was only minutes before their enemies were on the ground, injured and fearful. Some of them were probably dead. Lina went forward and proceeded to ask the two high wizards questions. She got no answers from them. They refused to talk, much to her dismay.

Vance did not intend to be soft with the intruders. Vance and his high wizards made their way down to Lina as quickly as they could. The scene they saw as they went out the doors was less than pleasant. Whether there were any deaths was not clear just yet. "What is the report, Lina? he asked. Kaeru noticed immediately that Azrielle had disappeared. He had hardly been able to speak to her.

Azrielle had fled the scene the moment she knew the fight was over. She was shrouded a short distance away by the trees and brush in the forest. She continued to watch, just in case something happened. Soon, she felt a familiar presence behind her. She turned around reluctantly and saw that she was indeed correct. Damien loomed a few feet away, watching her with a rather blank expression. The dark lord was never happy it seemed.

"So now you're stalking me?" she asked with a scowl.

"No, just curious. It appears that their disagreements are turning into a war of sorts. I find it strange." It brought back memories of Glast Heim's madness as it slowly destroyed itself. He closed the space between the priestess and himself but remained a respectful distance. He didn't want to chance making things worse with her yet again. He had a tendency to do as such.

"What's so strange about it?"

"Think about it, Azrielle. What reason would the new king have in doing all of this?"

"I don't know and I don't think anyone else knows either."

"I have also seen that the opposition is rather…small." His nights had been filled with observing numerous cities rather than lurking in Glast Heim. He always kept Azrielle updated on his findings. The information was the one thing that had kept the priestess at ease for the last year or so.

"They'll never win…" She cringed, imagining if the king really did win. If that happened, she would be glad she was dead for once. She didn't want to know what changes he would make. "I wish I could help somehow but what can one person possibly do? Nothing."

Damien seemed to be in deep thought as he looked at her. "It is unfortunate that they do not have an undead army at their fingertips as you do. They will need any help they can get their hands on if it came to that."

"Right…even if I had an undead army, they would never they listen to me. I'm not _you_."

The dark lord cracked a small smile, "They would if I commanded them to." Perhaps there was a way to gain more of her trust. If not, he could possibly redeem himself. Just maybe he could. Maybe he could try and lift the enormous burden of guilt that had weighed him down for so long.

She considered his words for a moment, not completely sure if he was serious. He wasn't one to joke normally so he must be. The only question that remained was _why_. "Why would you do that after everything so far?" He shrugged, as there were numerous reasons.

"Forgiveness perhaps? I will let you be the judge."

"Forgiveness for killing me, forgiveness for taking everything away from me, forgiveness for murding so many people, forgiveness for being selfish and—" He interrupted her by pulling her into his arms, holding her tightly against him. He looked down at the surprised priestess. She spoke entirely too much sometimes.

"When it comes to you, I _want_ to be selfish."

"I…" Azrielle was tired of yelling at him. "God damn persistent monster," she mumbled, averting her gaze to a nearby tree. She could feel herself warming not only from his hungry stare, but also from the closeness of their bodies. She was, to say the least, confounded by her reaction. "Let…go…" she demanded weakly. Men were not a problem she wanted to add to her list of problems. Specifically this one.

"Stop lying to yourself." He had gotten the proof he needed from her that night in the park when he became the friendly stranger. She knew very well that it had been him. His mouth went to her neck, kissing it fervently.

"I'm not," she said stubbornly, willing herself not to react to his touch. It wasn't working very well. Her thoughts immediately went back to the park. She had dreamed of it, _him_, since then, despite her wishes. The only men she wanted anything to do with were those she was friends with. Then again, how long had it been since any man claimed to genuinely care for her? Not since the one that hurt her most, of course.

"Of course not," he whispered against her neck between kisses. A quiet moan escaped her, causing her eyes to widen in alarm. Unfortunately, she couldn't bring herself to tell him to stop. Just like the night in the park, she wanted the attention. Whether or not she cared for him, the need for physical comfort was still there.

"Bastard…" she said breathily. Her head fell against his shoulder as she sighed. He went about this whole wooing thing all wrong.

"Obstinate woman. I do believe we have to come to some sort of definite conclusion," he replied. She wanted to wipe the smug look from his face and tone from his voice. He thought he had won but that was far from true. Her heart was not so easily persuaded though her body might be.

"Let me go."

"It astounds me that you vehemently deny me, yet your body seems to tell me otherwise." He thought he had given her time enough to make a decision about where she stood in her undead life. Apparently, she refused to be cooperative and give him an answer.

She couldn't give him an answer. He was right, though, that she was stubborn. She had every right to be, right? She really couldn't make this so easy for him. "I have one condition before I do anything."

"Oh? What might that be?" he asked curiously.

"We help them," she gestured toward Skyhaven, "as much as we can. Their side has to win this stupid conflict." If she was to live forever in this undead state, she could never survive knowing that she had done nothing when just maybe, she could. If it didn't make a difference in the end, she could live with knowing that she tried.

He considered her request and nodded, "Done. Anything for you." Only, what else was she saying?

She lifted her head to look at him. She hadn't expected him to agree so easily. Green eyes met crimson. A smile tugged at her lips; she was almost happy for once. Perhaps her friends had a fighting chance. She knew she was just one person, but she could hope for the best.

"Maybe…maybe since I _am_ dead…I should make the best of it," she thought aloud. Pretending might not be so bad. It might help ease her lonliness.

"And what are you trying to say?"

"Maybe…" She trailed off, still staring at his pale, handsome face. One of her hands made its way behind his head and slowly brought his face closer to hers. He could feel her cool breath on his face and oddly enough, his heart raced. Was she consenting? "You've been after me for a long time; Damien…Dark Lord…is this really what you want? I can't promise that things will turn out the way _you_ want."

"I would not have killed you if it was not."

She closed the minute distance between their faces, her lips brushing his. Could she lie to herself? Was she lying at all? She really couldn't be sure. She supposed that it didn't really matter in the end. She had to admire him for not giving up, but he was still not forgiven. Perhaps something would come of this, perhaps not. She supposed it wouldn't kill her to give him a chance.

--

Vance knelt next to a badly burned high wizard, looking him over with disdain. "Looks like you made a terrible mistake." The enemy high wizard's face, though blistered and on some parts blackened, twisted into a scowl but said nothing. "I will _not_ allow you and your so called wizards to harm my guild mates or my students. I don't know what you were thinking coming here like this, orders or not."

The wizard laughed hoarsely and quickly died. Vance frowned at the lack of information and turned to his guild mates. "We need to get this place cleaned up. Burn their bodies please." His wizards nodded and began casting. The unpleasant smell of burning flesh soon filled the air. All but Vance, Kaeru and Lina had gone inside. She had volunteered to supervise the burning until it was finished. Vance had pulled Kaeru aside a short time later, away from the burnings.

"Kaeru, I'm not going to force you to stay. To tell you the truth, my cousin Mira asked me a long time ago to let you come here, as long it was safe and help you. Now it isn't safe. You can stay or you can go, it's up to you," he explained. He worried for his cousin now. She was stuck on the opposing side of this mess.

"Mira is your cousin?"

Vance smiled and took off his glasses to rub his tired eyes, "Yes. I haven't spoken to her in such a long time. I'm really worried about her with this new development."

"As far as I know, she's still with…the old guild…?"

"Unfortunately."

"I miss her. She hardly said a word to me before I left." Kaeru still felt bad about leaving like he did but he just couldn't stay. He would thank her profusely when he saw her next. He hoped to God that when he saw her, it wouldn't be under the worst circumstances. He still wondered why she didn't just come with him to Skyhaven.

"She used to write me frequently but not anymore. When you left, she was in a sad state of mind. The death of your friend Azrielle, the priestess we saw tonight if I'm not mistaken, and your leaving was quite a lot for her." Mira never took well to losing things she loved. She was devastated when her father and his own father died.

"I know. I just hope she's okay."

"I have no doubt that she'll survive one way or another. She's resourceful and very smart."

"Kaeru!" They heard Azrielle's voice from behind them. They faced her and waited for her to approach. "I have something that might help you."

"Why are you so flushed? Are you okay?"

She suddenly turned even redder. "Er, I uh…not important! I have some "allies" you might be interested in. The idea might be a little unsettling though." Both she and Kaeru noticed that Vance was staring past the priestess into the darkness. She knew what he was trying to see.

"Vance?" Kaeru said, trying to see what his guild leader was seeing.

"You can't sense the monster beyond the trees? I want to know why _he's_ here," he demanded quietly. He did not dare trust a creature like that. Nor did he trust those that consorted with him. Even it was a friend of Kaeru's. Azrielle looked back at the trees and shrugged. She knew what she had to offer was a long shot.

"That's the thing," she said cautiously, "Dark Lord is willing to help you."

"What made him want to do something like that?" Kaeru asked. He wasn't sure whether that was a good thing or not. Dark Lord was creature that didn't deserve the time of day from anyone and wouldn't likely give anyone anything.

Azrielle laughed nervously. "I made a deal with him." Both men looked at her.

"What sort of deal does that hellish creature make?" Vance asked skeptically. There was no reason to trust a monster like Dark Lord. None at all.

"I gave him something that he wanted in exchange for his help." She really didn't want to go into the details of the deal. For one, it didn't matter. Secondly, she didn't care to tell anyone.

"You didn't…" Kaeru said in disbelief.

"He's practically stalked me since he almost killed me the first time. I can't stand by and watch the good lose. This is something I'm willing to sacrifice if it helps." Vance was again not paying attention and staring in Dark Lord's direction.

"Why won't he come out?"

"I dunno," the priestess shrugged. Looking toward the trees, she said his name softly. "Damien? You might as well come out. They need to speak with you."

"Damien?" The two men said in unison. Who knew the infamous Dark Lord had a name?

"It's just what I call him since he won't tell me his real name." Dark Lord suddenly appeared before them. Much to Azrielle's dismay, he had donned his mask once more.

From a stranger's point of view, he was a frightening creature. Tall, muscular and he had a certain air of dominance and power about him. His armor and skull mask hid him completely. The only sign of life within his façade was his gleaming crimson eyes. She had seen both sides of him. The angry deliverer of death and the more human and almost, _almost_ tolerable side. Damien was still a mystery to her despite what she had seen thus far.

"You would be wise to take what aid you can from Azrielle and me," he said darkly. The priestess nodded in agreement. She had a sneaking suspicion that the help of the dead would be unwanted. Still, she had to offer.

"What kind of help can you even give?" the older high wizard asked.

"You have every creature of Glast Heim at your service if you wish it. If it is not enough, Niflheim may be called upon as well. The realm of the dead is yours at your request thanks to Azrielle. Let us leave, Azrielle, my dear, so they may think on our offer." She smiled at Kaeru, embracing him quickly and followed Damien into the darkness of the night.

"This _is_ unsettling, as she said it was." Vance said, removing his glasses. He was worn out and this new situation was indeed odd.He didn't like the idea, but where else would they get help?

"Well, first we see the dead walk, and then we're attacked. Then, Dark Lord comes along and offers us an undead army. I'd say this is one hell of a night," Kaeru laughed. Would wonders never cease?

"Let's go to bed and talk with the others in the morning. We'll need to contact other guilds about this mess. It's up to them as well if they want use the undead. Personally, I wouldn't take such an offer," Vance yawned, pushing Kaeru lightly toward the guildhall.

--

"What if they don't want the help?" Azrielle pondered aloud. She was worried that they wouldn't take the offer. She didn't think she would panic like this but here she was. In the back of her mind, she knew no one would take the offer. "I can't watch them fall under…but I don't have a choice! Damien! This is going to drive me crazy!"

"Your ranting is already driving me crazy," Damien replied with a sigh. She had been raving incessantly since they left the wizard guild. She was now pacing on the landing in front of the abbey, _still_ ranting. Why was she so worried? The situation didn't even concern her anymore. She was dead after all.

"Eh? Don't you care?" she asked.

"Do you want my honest answer to that?" He didn't care about what happened to Midgard. His only concern was Glast Heim and his priestess. Everything else could burn and go to hell for all he cared. His old self would have thought differently. He wasn't that man anymore. No, he was a rather selfish creature these days.

"No." Cold-hearted monster, she thought to herself.

"You need to settle down. Pacing back and forth will do nothing but annoy me," he said flatly.

The priestess stopped and sighed, "I hate this place." She truly did. It was dark and depressing, much like how she felt on the inside.

"I apologize, but you really will not fit in anywhere else." His words rang true in her mind but she just didn't want it to be so.

"I know." She sat down on the top step and rested her chin on her hands. She took a slow breath and closed her eyes. The only things on her mind were the coming conflicts and the decidedly weird relationship she may have with the ominous Dark Lord. "I wish I knew the real cause of the conflict. Something just isn't right." She had been thinking lately and she had a solution in mind.

"If that fact was known, their war would end, I imagine."

Damien had taken a seat next to her and mimicked her pose. She sent him a sideways glance, noticing his obvious joking. "Since when do _you_ tease people?"

"I have not since I was alive."

"What were you like?" She really knew nothing about him. He said nothing to anyone about his old life. Only the dark priest seemed to know anything, but even he would not tell her anything. The lack of information and all the secretiveness was beginning to get on her nerves.

"Different than I am now…that is all you need to know."

"You're hopeless," she groaned.

"Perhaps."

"I don't see why you can't tell me. I'm here to stay obviously an—"

"Azrielle, stop." He cut her off. It was no ones business who or what he was. There had always been people prying and they all ended up dead at his hands. He felt no remorse for those he killed; it had not been any of their business. They just wouldn't leave him be. He didn't want to tell Azrielle about his former self because he didn't want her to compare. She would have liked who he once was. The only problem was that he wasn't like that anymore. He was Dark Lord now.

"Fine, I have things to do anyway."

"Like what?" When did she ever have things to do here? All they had was time in Glast Heim.

"Things," she said and left him sitting alone. He wouldn't follow her this time. He doubted he would get the same reaction as earlier that night. He then saw a shadow to his side that must have been the priest. It always was. He would be there for a moment and be gone the next.

"Nicholas."

The priest smiled, leaning down a bit. "I had almost forgotten my name."

"Then that makes two of us."

"I only want to make a point to you. Do you honestly think that Glast Heim will hide our secrets forever?" With that, the priest disappeared yet again. He never stayed anywhere for very long. In life, he was always around. Sometimes he wouldn;t leave you alone. Death changes even the best of people.

--

Azrielle had found a dusty old library deep in the heart of Glast Heim castle. She had been there a few times, discovering only bits and pieces of the city's history. Nothing exciting, but it was something to do. As she entered the large, very dark room, she went by memory to a desk and lit a large candle with a simple fire bolt spell. It was hardly more than a flicker but enough to light the wick. Thanks to Mira, these little things came in quite handy.

The candle only illuminated a small area around the desk. Piled high were history books and journals kept by various people around the castle. They were quite interesting. She had been following one journal by a scholar named Vangelis Marrek. He was a prominent figure around the castle near Glast Heim's end. He had shelves upon shelves of his journals and she had read every one she could find. She had only one left and it was terribly intriguing so far. Azrielle took a seat at the old chair behind the desk and opened the frail pages of the journal.

_Vangelis Marrek  
November 12_

_I can feel Glast Heim coming apart at the seams. Something…wicked…is spreading its corrupt shadow over everything. I know what the source is but no one will believe me. Perhaps they just do not want to believe me. In my mind, it is the latter. These alchemists from outside of Glast Heim are not trustworthy and their "works" are questionable. Alas, I must sit back and watch things unfold and most likely, for the worst. _

_Vangelis Marrek  
November 19_

_There is no change in our situation. I did manage to get a few of the elder scholars interested in my views. They are as concerned as I am thankfully. These alchemists are getting out of hand and that creature of theirs…I truly believe it has its own agenda. I can see subtle changes in people. Glast Heim's elite, even Athanas, seems different. I cannot seem to trust him anymore. He terrifies me. I fear if his mind is poisoned, then we are all lost._

_All lost...all lost..._

How odd, she thought as she read on. Was this the beginning of the end for the once great city? Who was Athanas anyway? She had read his name various times. She figured he must have been one of Vangelis's friends. "I wonder what the alchemists made that was so terrible?" she asked herself. She gathered that it was a creature of sorts.

"You'll find out soon enough if you keep delving further into these histories," a voice said. The priestess jumped, looking around for the voice. A shadowy and translucent figure appeared next to her. "My journals are capturing your attention, are they?"

"V-Vangelis?" she asked. Even the library was haunted...

"In all my ghostly glory," he chuckled. "In the end," he pointed to the pages of the journal in her hands, "My entries became shorter and shorter...mostly because I turned into a raving lunatic. It was sad really. I never thought I'd end up that way."

"I've noticed."

Azrielle studied the ghost of Vangelis thoughtfully. From what she could make out of his face, he was pleasant looking with gentle features and sincere eyes. From the little he had spoken, she could already see that he would be a pleasant change from Athanas and the rest of this damned city. "What happened to you?"

His face turned angry and sorrowful at the same time. "It is…for you to find out. There are many secrets around this haunted place. Unfortunately, secrets are for discovering, not telling. I will say, though, that if you uncover the darkness of Glast Heim, you may lift the shadow that has fallen over Midgard."

She let out a small gasp and frowned. "Why can't you just tell me?"

"I told you why already." He would have liked to tell her the things she wanted to know but he just couldn't. For the most part, it was because it would open up old wounds. He wasn't quite ready for that. Other damned creatures of Glast Heim probably wouldn't appreciate it either.

"Can't you tell me _anything_? Please?" He grinned at the undead priestess. Perhaps a little bit of something would satisfy her curiosity.

"I suppose I can tell you one thing, _but_, answering is at my discretion. What do you want to know?" She thought for a moment, trying to sort through the many questions in her mind. She knew he would not answer anything about the fall of the city.

"Who is Athanas?"

"Athanas? He was once a good friend of mine. He let his mind be poisoned and corrupted."

"That doesn't really answer my question."

He shook his head and sighed, "Ask Dark Lord who Athanas is. I can only assume that you know him since you're here."

"You cheated!" she exclaimed, dropping the journal back on the desk. "You didn't answer me at all. Besides, he'll never tell me _anything_. I've asked him about a lot of things but he won't say anything."

"Hmm, I should have guessed. I'm positive that you'll get an unusual reaction if you ask him about Athanas. Also tell him that Vangelis sends his ungrateful thanks." The ghost grimaced as he thought back to many unpleasant memories. "Keep searching," he added, and seemed to fade away into the dim candlelight. She was a little disappointed that the ghost didn't stay. She had so many more questions. She also wanted the company.

"Weird," she said. May as well ask him, she thought. She rose from the chair and blew out the candle before she made her way back to the abbey. She found the gloomy Damien sitting just inside the abbey, being pestered by a ghoul. He looked to be in deep thought, swatting idly at the ghoul when it got too close. She rolled her eyes and walked over to the ghoul, pushing it away. It looked sad for only a moment before it found another creature to irritate. "Damien?" she said, laying a hand on his shoulder.

He snapped out of his reverie and looked up at Azrielle. "Yes?"

"Ahh…who is Athanas?"

He froze up completely at the mention of the name. He could find no words it seemed. Finally, he looked away. How would she know about Athanas? "Why do you ask?" The words came slowly, as he did not want to answer that particular question. It would only lead to more questions.

"Well, I just came across the name in the library and then this ghost, Vangelis, asked me to—"

"Vangelis?" He was not happy to hear that particular name. She nodded in affirmation.

"He wanted me to convey his ungrateful thanks too. I thought that was strange."

"I find it hard to believe that he is wandering around Glast Heim still but then again, I am too…excuse me," he said as he stood and walked toward the door. He needed to have a word with that wretched ghost.

"Where are you going?"

"Out," he said simply.

--

One assassin cross and two assassins crept around the depths of the Prontera Castle dungeon, looking to find an unguarded way in. They worked for a man who did not want to be on the "good" side of the war, though he was, but he claimed his business was actually suffering because of the war.Therefore, he decided to give Geffen a hand and loan them his assassins. He, of course, remained anonymous.

The assassin cross leading the way was none other than Jared, former member of Alexander's guild. He had never intended to pick sides; everything just fell into place. They had been in the dank dungeon for quite a while, scoping out the maze-like area. Their footsteps were nearly inaudible against the stone floors as they walked. "Jared, do you smell that?" one assassin by the name of Jeremiah asked. "It's getting stronger the further we go in this direction."

The other assassin, Hailey, nodded. "It's almost like something rotting. Maybe it's a dead animal," she suggested with a disgusted face. They walked for a few more minutes until the smell became nearly unbearable. Their masks only helped a small amount against the overpowering stench. As they turned a corner, Hailey gasped. The three stopped suddenly. There were two bodies, badly decomposing in front of them. The bodies must have been there for a long time.

"Oh god…that's the smell," Jeremiah cringed. The bodies were laying face down near one another, sprawled out. They could have only been victims of unspeakable violence. Jared stepped forward and rolled both bodies over with his boot. The older man was mostly bone and a bit of skin left. The other was still in the midst of decaying.

"We saw the king yesterday during his announcements, right?" he asked the two assassins.

"Yeah…" Hailey replied. What was Jared getting at?

"So why are the king and his father rotting on the floor of Prontera castles dungeon?"

"Then who the hell did we see yesterday?" Jeremiah asked in alarm.

* * *

**A/N**: Oooh! Those poor assassins are like, "wtf?!"


	7. Shadows of Glast Heim

Yessss, things are finally happening and more is to come. It's so hard not to reveal EVERYTHING in this chapter. Oh the temptation...

* * *

**Shadows of Glast Heim**

"Vangelis," Damien spoke into the dark library. He knew the ghost would be here, if anywhere. He also knew Azrielle had to have gotten her question from the dead scholar since she mentioned him. He and Vangelis had a history together and it included the death of the once famous scholar. From the message Azrielle gave him, his former friend still held a grudge. That was no surprise.

"Oh, Dark Lord, how nice of you to join me," an airy voice whispered near him, somewhere in the darkness, "It has been a very long time."

He was not here to play games with ghosts, for he had little patience for it. "Vangelis, what have you told Azrielle?" The ghost appeared in a hazy fog, less clear than he was in front of the priestess. He didn't feel like exerting much energy for Dark Lord's sake.

"Azrielle? A very pretty name. She was quite pleasant. Did you kill her like you killed the many priests and adventurers that venture too close to you?" Vangelis snapped.

"I am not here to fool around, scholar. What have you told her? She does not need to know of the past." The ghost chuckled at the dark lord's impatience. The lord knight was so much different than he used to be. When he used to be human.

"I told her nothing. She asked me a question and I told her where to find the answer. You should know that she _will_ find everything she is looking for in a matter of time. She seems interested in Glast Heim's history. Then again, there isn't much else to do around here other than read."

Damien sighed and fell into the chair at the desk. He was well accustomed to the dark so he had no trouble seeing the items strewn about the old desk. One of Vangelis's journals lay in front of him, still open. He and Vangelis had once been friends but…they had fallen apart near Glast Heim's end. "So, have you regained any sanity since then?" he asked the ghost, referring to the last days of the great city.

"Oh yes, all of it fortunately. Have you regained any humanity?"

He wanted to answer with a no but that would have been a lie. Did he not care for or feel something for Azrielle? He was feeling more things now than he had in so many years. "Perhaps a small bit."

"I would have assumed no since I'm quite sure that the lovely priestess is your latest soul to damn?" Vangelis asked sharply. "She must be rather interesting if you kept her around." He had seen some of the suffering souls, eternally condemned to this damned city. It disgusted and saddened him but there was nothing he could do for them.

"I had my reasons for killing her."

The scholar laughed harshly at such ridiculous words. "Having a reason does not mean you have the _right_ to kill anyone. You are a monster."

"What's all the laughing about?" a female voice interrupted.

"Azrielle! It is a pleasure to have you back here so soon. Did you get any answers from Dark Lord here?" She shook her head and walked over the ghost and Damien. Judging by the expressions on both faces, they were not on the best of terms. Obviously no one in the forsaken city was happy.

"Why is it such a secret?" she asked, turning her gaze toward Damien. If it was something that had happened in the past, what was the point of hiding it? She could only speculate, but it must have been something terrible for him to refuse telling her.

"Some things are meant to be hidden away, Azrielle." In all reality, he was ashamed about what he had done. It was too late to change anything so he never spoke of it. It only brought back memories and nightmares that he would not wish upon even the darkest of souls.

"Oh come on, Dark Lord, things cannot be undone, so why not tell her? I suppose it isn't truly your fault you lost yourself the way you did. It was just that you gave in so _easily_. All those people, our city…all gone because you were weak!" Vangelis hissed. He felt his anger rising and his hazy form became indiscernible for a moment. He regained his composure and drifted closer to Azrielle.

"The great Athanas killed the city with an evil power and an unquenchable thirst for death. He drove so many to insanity and fear and death. _He_ was Glast Heim's executioner!"

"Enough Vangelis!" Damien had stood up; his normally blank expression had turned into a hateful frown. "Leave it be." The silver haired priestess looked up at the dark lord with a mystified expression. She was trying to piece things together but it was difficult with so many missing facts.

"Who was Athanas?" she asked again.

Vangelis smiled ruefully, "Tell her, Athanas, who you are." His tone was almost sad and his appearance was the same. "I suppose the fact that you are ashamed of your actions shows that you do still have a small amount of humanity within your _vile_ soul."

"You…you're Athanas?" she asked. She had not read much of anything about Glast Heim's fall yet but knowing that Damien, or Athanas as she came to find out, was the cause was somehow not surprising. Damien remained silent as he stared at the priestess before him. "To be honest, I'm not surprised." Damien looked mildly offended by her comment. He leaned down, kissed her cheek and promptly left the room. Vangelis and Azrielle stood in silence for a few moments before the scholar spoke again.

"I see now there was another reason he did not want you to know this. He wasn't always like he is now, you know. I just don't know what had changed him into the monster that destroyed this place." He had spent many years trying to figure it out. He was never successful.

"Well, I made a deal with him knowing full well that he was a monster. I don't really know what I feel for him, let alone _why_, but I guess I still don't mind…it's not like I have many choices. I somehow doubt he's any worse than some men I've dealt with." She did seem to have terrible luck with men.

Vangelis chuckled, "He ran into some luck I see. Did he kill you like the other unfortunate souls that pass through here?" She shook her head, remembering his words. "I'm very sorry if he did. He has done horrible things to people."

"He killed me out of selfishness, he says."

Vangelis' expression turned thoughtful. "You know, he was once in love with a pretty hunter girl. I did _not_ like her much but he was happy. I just thought she wanted him because of his status...or something. I think he found out that I was right sometime after he had started changing. I think he still blames me for it. He loved her until the day he killed her." Vangelis didn't care one way or another about _that_ girl. She was an evil little creature.

"Terrible."

The ghost nodded in agreement, his fingers playing idly with the fox fur around his neck. "I know he will not tell you anymore than this and I don't think I should either. It isn't my place. You will have to discover the rest for yourself. Hopefully I will see more of you soon, Azrielle."

He faded into nothingness after he had spoken and left Azrielle standing alone in the library. It had been a long night and some peace and quiet was needed. Perhaps tomorrow she would research more on Glast Heim and Athanas. Surely there was something she could find about who he used to be.

--

"What the hell are we supposed to do now, Jared?" The other two assassins had inched closer to the bodies to verify that it was indeed King Tristan and his son, the newest king. They had seen the "king" just yesterday and he looked exactly like the rotting corpse in front of them. They couldn't be one in the same because this body in front of them was far too decayed.

"We have to abort the current mission. This is way too big of a discovery to ignore. The only thing is how do we get people to believe us if we bring this to Midgard's attention?"

"It'll be hard not having anything to show them as proof," Hailey noted. The solution in her mind was repulsive but perhaps the only way to do it. "So…how do we get these things out of here?"

"We don't have much with us," Jeremiah stated.

"I really don't want to touch that. In fact, I refuse." The female assassin shivered at the thought. The fact that it was a dead body was fine, but a putrid, decaying body was a whole other deal. The smell alone was about to gag them to death.

Jared thought for a moment and looked around the dungeon. It was basically bare of anything but steel bars and stones. Something in a corner caught his eye. He strode over and picked a worn length of rope. "This'll do the trick," he said to the others. They nodded as he walked over to the dead bodies. "This is disgusting."

"Have fun," Hailey grinned.

"Don't worry, Lee, you get to carry Tristan," he snickered. Her mouth dropped and she muttered a curse at the assassin cross. They watched Jared carefully tie a length around each body's ankles and wrists. After he finished, he picked up the very light late king Tristan and handed him to Hailey. She glared at Jared and yanked the body from him. At least this one didn't really smell too badly. "Hope these guys don't fall apart on us." Jared picked up the younger king, Philip, more gingerly. "Jeremiah, this one's for you."

"What!"

"Come on, take it. If we're attacked, I'm gonna have to fight for the both of you. It makes perfect sense to me." Jeremiah grudgingly took hold of the rope and corpse and followed the assassin cross, Hailey following behind.

--

"Vance, where are you going?" Corinne asked as the high wizard slung a bag over his shoulder, Kaeru doing the same. It was just four days ago that the guild had been attacked and everyone was on edge.

"We have to meet with the other guilds about the attack and Dark Lord's proposal. I'm going to leave the running of the guild up to you while I'm gone."

She nodded apprehensively. She could easily do Vance's job but that didn't mean she wanted to. "What if we're attacked again?"

Vance smiled and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, "If it does, you'll defend Skyhaven with Lina and the other wizards. Just keep the mages safe and this place in one piece. I'm taking Kaeru with me because he's the one that has the ties with Azrielle and Dark Lord. A paladin friend of his is waiting outside to escort us to Geffen. Don't worry about us."

"Okay, okay. I can't help but worry. Just be careful, you two." Vance adjusted his glasses and gave her a quick hug. He motioned for Kaeru to follow him. As they left the guildhall, they saw Angela and her peco peco Sunny outside. On either side of her were two pecos ready for riders.

"Hello!" the paladin greeted them cheerfully. Her peco squawked happily as well. "It's a beautiful, sunny day for riding."

"Hey Angela," Kaeru said waving.

"Hello Angela, it's good to meet you," Vance said to the paladin.

"Likewise! Hop on your pecos and we'll get going. Hopefully we won't run into trouble. I didn't see anything suspicious on my way here." The forest had indeed been quiet the whole way. Not even a fabre crossed her path. Praise the Lord that she didn't have to face her fear of the evil little green caterpillars. Either way, the faster they got to Geffen, the better.

"Sooo, guys, I hear Skyhaven was attacked?" she asked as they rode down the dirt road away from the guild. It had been alarming news because Skyhaven had been considered neutral territory and it was hazardous to your health to attack them. They could clearly defend themselves against intruders.

"Yes we were," Vance replied. "Those wizards never stood a chance. They were obviously poorly trained and their spells were terribly cast." The paladin laughed and ushered Sunny onward. A short time later, two knights atop a pair of black horses rushed from hiding and blocked their path.

"Stop there!" the larger of the two commanded. Both knights wore helms that covered their faces but their clothing was that of the new Pronteran Guard. Both men had their sword and spear drawn, ready to attack any moment.

"Just who do you think you are?" Angela growled as she urged Sunny in front of the two wizards and slowed the pecos down to a halt.

"You are traitors of the king and we have been sent to take you to Prontera to be judged. God rest your treacherous souls!"

"You speak of God? What do _you_ know of God? You spend your days killing innocent people!" Angela drew her sword slowly, glaring sharply at the knights. She had no intention of going to Prontera so it meant that there was to be a fight. She had no doubt she could handle both of them. "We refuse to leave with you."

"Have it your way!" the second rider said finally after his silence. He charged Angela, his spear extended. The paladin patted her peco and waited for the knight. Kaeru was about to yell for her to move but Sunny side stepped and ducked, clamping down on the horses leg with his powerful beak. The sound of breaking bone made the wizard's stomach turn.

The horse neighed in pain as it went crashing to the ground. The paladin and peco spun around and watched the knight struggle to free himself from under the heavy horse. "Vance, put that horse out of its misery. The knight too," she ordered. Vance nodded and held an arm out, concentrating for only a moment before a wall of fire engulfed the knight and horse. Angela turned to the remained knight. "Well? What are you waiting for?"

"Nothing at all," he replied as he dismounted his horse. The paladin smiled at the challenge and dismounted Sunny. The knight would be faster but she could deal harder blows with her heavier sword. The two stopped just out of reach of one another, each moving into their preferred stance.

The knight was the first to charge, swinging his sword downward. Angela brought her own sword up and easily blocked him. The clang of metal rang through the empty forest. He instantly kicked her legs out from under her. She was actually very surprised and even more so when she saw his gleaming blade head straight for her as she fell. She rolled to the side and narrowly missed being impaled.

His sword, for the moment, was lodged deep into the ground. She took the chance to stand and thrust her sword toward the knight's vulnerable spot under his arm where there was no armor as he tried to pull his sword out. His strength had worked against him this time.

He cried out as her blade punctured his skin but he had moved just enough so that her weapon had not gone as deep as she would have liked. He pulled his sword from the ground and swung wildly at the paladin only to be easily countered. "You know you're no match for me, knight," she said softly. He only grunted in return and swung again.

They went on for minutes and Angela was growing impatient. She thought that he might be a challenge but he was only an average knight. Suddenly the knight misjudged his distance and she took this chance to side step and bring her sword down on his arm.

There was a small gush of blood as his hand and part of his forearm fell to the ground. He dropped to his knees and clutched at his bloodied stump of an arm, paying no more attention to the advancing paladin. "I'm so sorry," she sighed as she lifted her sword above her head, much like that of an executioner. She didn't give him any time to look up before she sent the blade flying with crushing force at the back of his neck.

The knight's head fell to the ground causing a small cloud of dust to rise. It rolled for a moment and stopped near her feet. The dead knight's blank eyes stared up at her, causing her to look away. The rest of the knight's body was still kneeling. Angela gave the body a shove and it toppled lifelessly to the ground.

Angela walked back to the wizards, her sword hanging loosely in her right hand. It was dripping with the knight's blood. She pulled out a cloth and wiped the blade clean before sheathing it and mounting her peco once again. "I should have become a priestess."

"Someone would have died today and it wasn't going to be us," Kaeru said.

"I know…I just wish I wasn't so good at this. Would you burn him please?" Kaeru nodded and did as she asked. They noticed her bow her head and clasp her hands together in prayer. After a few minutes, she looked up and smiled weakly, "Let's go. You know, you wizards should really learn some hand to hand combat. You have no chance if your enemy gets too close to you as it is."

"It might be a good idea. Angela?" Vance said looking over at her, a questioning look on his face. "How do you brush things off like they never happened? It's different with wizards; we never physically touch our enemy so we don't kill them directly. It distances us from our victims. At least in my eyes."

The paladin glanced away for a moment before turning her head to the high wizard, "I've been asked that many times since the conflict began. I'm not proud of what I've done and I'll never forget about it. The only thing I can do it bury the experience in my mind and never think about it. As a servant of God, I feel even worse for doing this…"

"I can empathize," Kaeru said softly. "Since I had been a priest for so long, I think about the wrongness of the death I cause more than I once did because I'm more capable of causing it."

"War changes people. It brings out things in all of us that we may or may not like," she said. Running a hand along the back of Sunny's neck, the peco cooed happily. "This is all in a days work for us, isn't it Sunny?" She never imagined that she would be relied on so heavily to do what she had been trained to do. She had always thought routine assignments to keep order in Midgard were all she would ever have to do. I suppose life never goes they way we expect it to, she thought. Pulling her sword out of its sheath, she held it up the speckled sunlight of the forest.

"This blade has tasted so much blood since the war began; it seems like it's forever tinged with red." The wizards eyed the gleaming blade, confirming that it was indeed faintly hued with red.

"In the end, we'll all be judged. None of us are innocent but those who fight for something good such as freedom and not only for themselves, will fare better than those killing simply because they were told to," Vance pointed out. He truly believed this as it seemed logical. Angela smiled at the fact that she knew she was fighting for a just cause. "Let's just worry about getting to Geffen."

They arrived at Geffen's gates at dusk and were greeted by the tower guards. "Name and purpose for coming to Geffen," the guard asked sternly. Suddenly, they disappeared from their towers.

"Hey, it's me Angela, open up!" Silence. "Do these high wizards have to send a lightning bolt up your asses?" Silence. "What the hell?" Where did those guards go?

"Angelaaaaa!" a familiar voice called as the gates opened. Luzien was standing, waving at the three of them. "What took you so long?" he asked.

"Luz, you're so dumb. We ran into some trouble." He noticed the speckles of dried blood on her armor and knew that it wasn't her own. It was a relief but he'd have to ask her later what happened.

"Oh, I see." He leaned down and kissed her cheek before looking back at the two wizards. "Come on guys, times a wasting!"

A short time later, they had arrived in Geffen Tower. The main hall of the tower held two long tables for the congregation. Numerous guild leaders were attending and most were very worried about their numbers. As soon as everyone was seated, the guild leader of the official guild of Geffen, known as the Geffenian Order, stood up. Christopher Aventis was his name and he was a prominent figure among the guilds. He was nearing fifty years old and was a brilliant scholar.

"Thank you all for coming on such short notice but our situation has taken a terrible turn. Vance of the Skyhaven guild tells me that there was an attack on his guild a mere four days ago. Any of you other guild that have been neutral, as Skyhaven has been, may be in danger of attack." Christopher turned to Vance for his story.

"They attacked us at night with a band of wizards. They seriously underestimated us but I have no doubt that they will attack other guilds that have been considered neutral," Vance explained. He took off his glasses and set them on the table. "I have another bit of news but this may be in our favor. I know you are all familiar with Glast Heim…?"

There were nods around the tables and murmurs about his question. He was unsure about how people would react. He didn't figure they would take it well at all. Vance continued, "If you…if you had an army at your disposal, would you accept?" Christopher shot Vance a perplexed look.

"What kind of army, Vance?"

"An undead army," Kaeru said quickly. There was no sense in dragging it out. There were a few gasps around the room accompanied by confusion as to what the two obviously insane high wizards were talking about.

Guild leader and high priestess, Mariah Locke, of the official Prontera Church guild raised a hand. "You can't be serious. The dead? Even if we needed their "help", we could never take it. The idea is preposterous. What makes you think they would even help?"

"Maybe not as preposterous as you think." All eyes turned to the door where a dead priest and priestess stood. There was complete silence across the tables. This was quite an unusual sight.

"Azrielle…?" Mariah asked in a voice barely above a whisper. She couldn't believe her eyes.

"Hello Mariah," she smiled weakly. "Your side won't win this conflict without help. Your numbers are just too small to defend yourselves."

Azrielle and her party moved forward toward the tables. As she was about to speak again, there was another interruption. "Excuse us!" an assassin cross yelled as he pushed the doors open. "Take a look at what we discovered in Prontera Castle's dungeon!" Two assassins brought in two, well decaying bodies and dropped them to the floor with a look of great relief. Christopher stood from his chair and hurried to the assassins.

"What are you doing?" he cried out. People cringed at the sight and many averted their eyes. Who in their right mind would drop two corpses in the middle of a room full of people? As soon as he got a good look at the faces of the dead men, he froze. This couldn't be right. "This is…this is…"

"Something is really wrong here," Jared, the assassin cross sighed.

The dead priest and priestess made their way over to the bodies. The dead priest suddenly began to laugh. Azrielle turned to him, bewildered with his actions. "This is ludicrous…" he said between laughs. He knelt down next to the younger king's corpse and laid a hand on the dead man's forehead. A faint bluish purple light appeared and disappeared within moments. Suddenly the king's sunken eyelids flashed open, revealing eyeless sockets. His body shook violently and he made a horrible, wheezing noise as he tried to fill his decomposing lungs with air.

The whole room wore horrified expressions. The living dead king attempted to speak but the only sounds that came out were gurgling, and a few hoarse coughs. The priest couldn't help but laugh once more. This body was too decayed to live again by means of his resurrection.

"Put him out of his misery! Please!" Azrielle cringed. Jared had been staring at his former guild mate, who was now dead, in confusion. Snapping out of his trance, he severed the dead man's head from his body and the revolting show ended.

"Hm…I thought I could get some sort of information out of him. He's too decayed. Too bad."

"That was terrible," Azrielle frowned.

"Enough of this chaos, please!" Christopher said holding up his hands. "Guild leaders need to take their seats, the dead need to stop causing trouble and stand away from the corpses, and you assassins need to move these bodies by the door. Now." He hadn't expected such chaos today.

"Let's sort this out one puzzle piece at a time," Vance said calmly.

"All right," the high priestess Mariah began, "Let's start fresh. We now have proof that the king we have been following is not the real king. The real king is rotting in that corner." She shuddered as she glanced toward the bodies. What in God's name was going on?

"Yes, something much deeper is going on in Prontera," Christopher agreed. Vance and many others knew something had not been right with the current king but could not be sure of what.

The high priestess nodded, "Either way, the situation is the same. Our numbers are not enough to overtake the opposing side." Mariah glanced nervously at the undead party. She was not happy to have the undead in Geffen. "I think with the help of the guilds that have been nonaligned, we stand a chance. We don't need the help of these ungodly creatures." She sent Azrielle an apologetic look but said nothing more.

The congregation conversed for some time as Azrielle and the dark priest stood back. "We should leave, priestess," he murmured. He was thoroughly annoyed with the indecision of the mortals. He knew they wouldn't accept their help so this trip was pointless. She shrugged, her green eyes once more scanning faces to see if there was even a glimmer of hope for them to ask for help. She saw none…

"I just…I won't be able to watch them fall. It would hit too close to home."

"Not our problem anymore. Come, Azrielle," he replied coolly. She sighed as they disappeared from sight. People could be so stubborn.

_--_

_He stood amongst lifeless bodies; bodies that had died by his hand. Their expressions of pain and shock were frozen on their faces. He could not remember this. Did he actually do this? He looked down at his hands, his arms, his clothes…everything was covered in blood. It was not his blood but theirs, the dead people lying in heaps all around him. _

_The full, bright moon illuminated his massacre and put it into full perspective. There was not a living soul left in Glast Heim. He ran his fingers over his long, raven black hair and instantly jerked his hand back. Sticky…blood…he was completely drenched. _Athanas_…_Athanas_! A voice. It was in his head. It was…he stopped thinking as he cried out in pain and dropped to his knees._

"_No! Please!" she cried as she struggled against his iron grip. He stopped only to gaze at her with indifferent eyes._

"_There is no mercy for even you," he slowly brought his blood stained dagger to her throat, letting it linger against her warm skin. She had hurt him and now he would hurt her. "You have damned yourself, my love." He then pressed the dagger against her throat and sliced it cleanly across. She gasped and fell silent. So much blood…_

Athanas_…he heard the voice say again as he snapped back into the present moment. She had betrayed him. He had killed her. It was a simple drive and with the encouragement of _it_, he had done it. Again, he clutched his head as the pain came in another wave._

_Never in his life had he seen a great paladin cower at his feet. He watched the man, younger by only a year; stare up at him in fear. "What have you become?" the man asked in a voice hardly above a whisper._

"_Your executioner," Athanas replied. In a swift movement, he brought up his sword and severed the paladins head from his shoulders. Dear friend…_

Athanas_…why would he kill a man that was his friend? Reality hit him again. He was on his knees still and there were bodies all around. There was no other explanation than this madness, this bloodlust. That creature was driving it all. The incessant coaxing and prodding to act on such dark deeds. Yet again, the pain wracked his skull._

_Laughter. Blood. Vangelis had lost his sanity and refused to think clearly. This is what had caused him to be as he was now, lying on the cold stone walkway, laughing deliriously. The tip of Athanas's sword was poised on the scholar's chest. "Athanas! Are you the deliverer of Ragnarok or are you just the deliverer of Glast Heim's fate?"_

"_Glast Heim's fate should not be concerning you. It is your fate that is being decided." The scholar continued to laugh until the sword was plunged into his heart._

Athanas_! What reason did he have to kill Vangelis? He knew too much…the pain in his head had ceased and he was left in silence. Not a single breath of the living but his own could be heard in the fallen city. Suddenly, his memory was clear as day. The mass slaughter of Glast Heim's population was finished. He was now the Dark Lord of Glast Heim._

The dark lord of Glast Heim sat on the cold floor of the abbey, leaning against a wall, staring into nothingness. These memories could paralyze him like nothing else. He heard someone talking. They also nudged him. Slowly he turned and saw the pale face of Azrielle. She looked sad for some reason, her vivid green eyes showing every bit of frustration as well. Perhaps things had not gone as she planned.

"Damien? Are you all right?"

"It is too early to say just yet." Why he had brought up those memories was a mystery to him. It was almost as if…no, no of course not. Azrielle sat next to him, taking his hand in hers. She didn't have the warmth of life in her anymore. She was as cold as he and the rest of the dead were.

_"Athanas..." A familiar silver haired priestess fell lifelessly to the ground as he stood over her, sword in hand._

Now he was having thoughts of things that had happened, but not in the way he remembered. He wouldn't, couldn't kill Azrielle permanently. "You still called me Damien," he remarked, staring at nothing again. He wanted these wayward thoughts gone from his mind.

"The past is the past and I don't think Athanas is who you are anymore." No, he was something worse. He didn't answer her but he pulled Azrielle closer, a sense of possessiveness falling over him. She was his and would be forever. He would let no one change that.

"_Midgard will fall as Glast Heim did. You cannot prevent it, Athanas…just as you cannot prevent her death at my hands. I have not finished with you…"_ the wind whispered. Damien knew _he_ had returned to claim Midgard as he had once claimed Glast Heim.

* * *

**A/N**: Sooo mysterious...lol. Well, there's a few pieces to the puzzle! R&R please.


	8. Mimic

**Mimic**

"Did you hear…?" Vangelis whispered. He had left the library in search of Damien and found him sitting with an arm around Azrielle. The priestess' eyes were closed but Dark Lord was wide-awake. There was such a difference between the two. The Dark Lord, evil incarnate and the damned angel, lovely and kind. He let himself take form in front of them, almost sorry for interrupting. Surely all of Glast Heim had heard the familiar voice carried on the wind.

"Yes." Damien's crimson eyes moved slowly and settled on the ghost. "He has returned to take Midgard. I had hoped it would be something else besides him."

"Should I be worried that you are going to become his tool again? His _puppet_?" Vangelis could not hide the hate and anger in his voice. He had long forgiven the dark lord for murdering him. It was better that way. The scholar was ashamed for the way he acted in the end. Madness had overtaken him.

Damien said nothing. He was not sure if he would be able to maintain his frame of mind. He had been so easily deceived the first time. He had been weak. He had been consumed with bloodlust and hate.

"Well?" Vangelis probed. He still received no answer from the brooding, dark haired man. The ghost sighed. "You know, she might forgive you for Glast Heim, but she wasn't _there, _Athanas. She didn't see people driven mad out of fear. She didn't see them dying one by one, all because of _you_. She would hate you with the depths of her soul if you destroyed her home and her people. I was thinking that might be reason enough to—"

"Vangelis, you have no right to say anything. You did not become that creature's toy. You did not—"

"I didn't kill thousands of people? I didn't murder my friends without a second thought? I _fought back_ against him, losing my sanity as a price. It was as if you _let _him control you! Did you even care about anyone?" The scholar would never really know what went on in Athanas's mind back then. He was quite sure it was nothing short of a nightmare.

Azrielle stirred at the raising voice of Vangelis and opened her eyes slowly. "What's the problem?" she asked, looking back and forth between the two men. Both remained silent and angry. Finally, Vangelis drifted directly in front of the priestess and summoned every bit of energy he could from the room to make himself solid. She watched with interest until he was seemingly firm and human again. She lifted her hand and ran her fingers along his sleeve for proof that he was indeed not just an illusion.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Come with me." He stood and pulled her up with him. Damien just looked away and remained sitting. "There is something I want to show you. Perhaps you can help me." He led her out of the abbey and down a stone walkway toward the castle.

Minutes later, they arrived and he stopped suddenly in the courtyard. "Over there, by the fence is where Athanas killed me. I had lost all sense of myself and was nothing more than a delirious maniac. I have forgiven him because it was for the best. Now stand over here," he said as he pulled her gently to a spot a few yards in front of the grand staircase leading up to the castle doors. "I think this should work…" he said more to himself than to Azrielle. He stood back and chanted some sort of spell in a language she did not recognize. All in an instant, she fell the ground, her whole body feeling heavy and out of place.

"Do not fret, Azrielle, this is only temporary," he said reassuringly. "Now open your eyes and look around you. I need you to help me figure something out." She did as he told her to and was soon horrified beyond belief. Dead bodies were all around her, piled on one another. It was like a mass slaughter…what was Vangelis showing her? "Tell me what you see," he said. She saw him standing in the same place, looking around calmly. She shook her head sadly. The scene before her was awful and depressing.

"I see death, unreasonable death. What happened?" She walked over to a woman who was lying separately from the others. Her throat had been slit but was no longer bleeding. She was long dead.

"The woman in front of you betrayed Athanas. She was the one I told you about. I was rather surprised that he didn't do more to her than that. I suppose he showed some mercy after all." They then heard a familiar laugh growing closer.

"_Athanas! Where are you? You're not hiding amongst these bodies I can tell_." The man rounded the corner and Vangelis looked away, thoroughly embarrassed. It was his former self, laughing gleefully. He ran past Azrielle and in a moment, they heard him topple to the ground. She turned to see Athanas standing over the scholar, the tip of his sword poised on the scholar's chest.

"_Athanas! Are you the deliverer of Ragnarok or are you just the deliverer of Glast Heim's fate?"_

"_Glast Heim's fate should not be concerning you. It is your fate that is being decided." _The scholar continued to laugh until the sword was plunged into his heart.

Azrielle covered her eyes for a moment. She couldn't bear to see this. It made her sick to see such an act. "Azrielle, dear, can you tell me what is wrong with Athanas? I just…I could never tell."

"All I sense is a man void of himself. There's nothing there. Why are you making me watch this, Vangelis? What do you think I'm going to find?" She couldn't seem to tear her gaze from the dead scholar.

"Why did he let this happen?" He strode over to the priestess and stared at himself lying on the ground. "I have never been able to figure out why." He had tried and tried to be logical and think of anything at all that might have made Athanas so weak minded. He grabbed her hand, holding it within his own for reassurance. She sent him a sideways glance and squeezed his hand lightly.

"Did you ever ask him?"

"I was too angry but I highly doubt he would ever tell me. I just cannot let go of it, though I wish I could. I just thought that maybe you would feel something if I showed you one of Glast Heim's memories."

"Could you end this? It's depressing me," Azrielle sighed. She was familiar with death, yes, but it made her heart break to see all the lost lives around her. Athanas had become a monster in the city's last days. Despite the facts, she could not help but feel something for him. Yes, she did care him for some reason but she had yet to figure out why. Everytime she looked in his eyes, she was greeted with aching lonliness and hurt.

Abruptly, their surroundings changed back to the empty and dark courtyard of before. She noticed Vangelis take a step and then falter. He muttered a curse and faded back into his ghostly figure. "It takes so much energy and concentration to use that form," he grimaced.

"Sorry I wasn't much help."

"Oh don't worry, I think all will be revealed sooner than we expect. I am completely embarrassed that you had to see me act in such a—a foolish way." The priestess chuckled softly and shrugged. "I suppose you should head back. My home is here in the castle." The ghost then faded into nothing.

"You, priestess!" The dark priest called from across the courtyard. "I suppose that idiot ghost of a scholar showed you how he died? He will never find out what Athanas was thinking let alone why he did what he did. The only ones that can tell you the answers are Athanas and _Him_. It is all just a game," the priest said as he walked away. How odd.

--

"Now tell me again why we're back here in the dungeon? It still reeks," Hailey groaned. Jared and his two assassins were back in Prontera Castle's dungeon to finish their previous task. They were looking for a discreet way inside the castle and were now ordered to return with whatever information they could get and give it to Christopher Aventis. The older man had told them that assassination of the "king" was completely up to them, and preferred, if the opportunity arose.

Minutes later and past the area where the bodies had been found, they saw their target. A large wooden door was ahead and it was unguarded on their side. The assassin cross ordered the other two to get on either side of him as they approached.

"Let's give them a taste of what assassins can do," Jared whispered with a grin. They proceeded silently and stopped in front of the door. Jared leaned forward and put his ear to the door. He couldn't hear any shuffling of feet or voices so he grabbed the handle and pushed the door open as quietly as he could. The three breathed a sigh of relief as they looked into an empty hallway. Moving forward they saw that there was not a soul in sight. It seemed logical, though, as every building has a weak spot. Further down the hallway, they spotted not one, but two separate staircases.

"Oh how classic," Jeremiah said as he rolled his eyes. Two ways meant that they had to split up.

"You two take the left and I'll take the right. Get out of here if you're spotted and can't contain the situation, got it?" Jared ordered. The two nodded their heads.

They then headed up the stairs and into unknown territory. Jared crept up the flight of stairs to the right and into a hallway that looked like servants rooms or something of the like. A few of the doors were open and he peered into each one as he passed. Reaching the last partly opened door, he looked inside and met the gaze a young woman. She smiled deviously ran a hand through her wavy auburn hair. Jared brought his katar up slowly to rest between them.

"Did you see anything?" he asked quietly but there was a dangerous tone to his voice.

"See what?" He couldn't help but grin at her reply. She was playing along with him at least. As he turned to leave, she spoke again, "Are you going to kill him?"

"If I get the chance."

"Good luck. This place is like a prison and none of us have been able to leave since he started this mess."

He nodded and continued on his way.

Jeremiah and Hailey had not run into anyone so far. They were surprised that there was no sign of a guard anywhere. They made their way deeper into the castle and turned down a corridor. It held the entrance to a library and other various rooms but still no guards. The two came to an abrupt halt as they saw a shadow of someone at the end of the hall. As the shadow rounded the corner, they relaxed at the sight of their leader.

Jared strode silently toward them and stopped.

"This place is like a ghost castle. Where is everyone?" Hailey wondered aloud. It was so strange to her.

"No idea. We might as well leave since we don't have any information," Jared said. The two assassins agreed and turned to go back the way they came. Jeremiah suddenly felt something was very wrong. The assassin whirled around to face his assassin cross companion and narrowly missed getting his throat slashed.

"What the hell!" he hissed. Jared shrugged and charged Hailey this time. She ducked and let her katars slice through the air toward Jared legs. He backed up smoothly and sent his boot flying at her chest. It connected with a thud and she fell back gasping for breath. He took the chance to bury the blade of his weapon into her. She managed to move to the side as the blade pierced below her shoulder deeply. Now she was in pain and angry. "What's your problem, Jared?" Jeremiah asked heatedly as he drove his own katars at the assassin cross's chest.

"_You_ are my problem." Jared's dark eyes held and unearthly glare. He sidestepped and sent his blade into Jeremiah's midsection. The assassin cross was far too fast. Jeremiah slumped to the ground without another sound. Hailey cried out and tried to stand so she could get away. Her movement was only met with excruciating pain. The blade was poisoned. The dark eyed assassin turned to Hailey slowly. "I'll be back for you," he said and disappeared down the hall.

Jared was walking silently and out of nowhere, he was pinned to the wall with a bloody katar at his throat. Glaring at his attacker, he realized a terrible thing. He was staring at _himself_.

"Your friends were no challenge," the copy assassin cross whispered. He snickered and held his katar up a little higher for Jared to see the blood stain. "Jeremiah was it? He tried at least but met with no avail."

"You son of a bitch!" Jared snarled. With all his strength, he forced the impostor back and flew into a furious attack. The stranger laughed and seemed to mimic his assaults. The impostor could almost pass for Jared except for the slight sloppiness of his skills. This gave Jared an edge and in no time, he had landed a deep gash on the impostor. The stranger vanished in frenzy, knowing that he had been bested.

Jared did not get away without a few cuts and bruises but they were nothing serious. He went the opposite way that the fake assassin went, hoping to find the other two of his party. It wasn't long before he saw the familiar faces, but the scene worried him. Hailey was clutching her shoulder and Jeremiah was on the floor, not moving at all. He must have caught Hailey's eye because she stood up and moved into her fighting stance. "Lee? What're you doing? We need to leave and what happened to Jeremiah?"

"You killed him!" Her voice wavered as she fought back tears. Jeremiah was like a brother to her and he was so near death.

"It wasn't me, Lee," Jared said calmly as he slowly approached her. "Remember when you were sixteen and you screwed up an assignment in Morroc because you were attacked by the targets pet poporing?" He was the only one she had ever told about that. She had been so embarrassed.

"Jared…who killed him then?" she asked as she stared down at Jeremiah for a moment before her legs gave out. He wasn't dead, but he would be in no time. She just sat there half laughing and half crying. She was more than confused. Who had attacked them? He looked exactly like Jared. "Poison. I don't know what kind but it hurts like hell. This is worse than when I let that poporing beat me up."

"Come on," he said, sliding an arm around her small waist and helping her up. "Think you can make it out?" She nodded and pushed him away from her gently.

"We can't leave him. I'm just fine but he's not really dead yet."

"You know, it's not like I can't drag both of you out of here." He walked over to the still form of Jeremiah and slung the man over his shoulder. He heard a muffled groan from the assassin and stopped to listen.

"M'gonna…kill 'im…" Jeremiah managed before he fell silent again. There was hope for him yet.

--

Azrielle sighed and leaned back in the aged chair behind the desk. She was in the library again and had been every night for a few weeks. She had read Vangelis's journals to the end and it was rather disturbing. He slowly lost his sanity and many times, he had written that it was "that creature" but never said what it was. She had gathered that it was something that a group of alchemists had made. Those alchemists were not from Glast Heim, but no one knew for sure where they _had_ come from. "Vangelis, you know I don't like when you can see me but I can't see you," she said as she leafed through another history book.

He appeared and looked anxious. "Have you found anything?"

"No. I've gone through book after book and every journal I could find. I see that Damien was under the control of something. It was the "creature" made by the alchemists, but what was it exactly? I haven't found anything that tells me what it is."

"You are intent on finding the answers, I see," a dark voice said. Damien had entered the library with the dark priest following just behind him. "You know that _He_ is back. He is the one that is plaguing Midgard with darkness just like he had with this place."

"Can you piece the puzzle together?" The story of the dark priest was perhaps the clearest look into the jumbled history of Glast Heim. "If you wish to learn what I know, I can tell you. After all this time, I actually want someone to know. One can only keep a secret for so long."

"Tell me."

"My name is Nicholas Locke. Oddly enough, Mariah Locke is one of my descendents. In the days of this city's prime, I was a normal priest among the church. I had a wife and I had a three-year-old son. At the time, the church was in an uproar because of the alchemists. They had produced an ungodly creature and we knew that it had to be destroyed. I was curious because I had never seen this creature so one night I snuck into the laboratory of the alchemists and saw the strangest thing."

"I remember thinking that perhaps I was dreaming because I was looking at this creature and staring right back at me…was myself. Something happened after that but I do not know what. I woke up the next morning lying on the alter in the church. My hands were bloodied and I was confused. I could not, for the life of me, figure out why I had blood on my hands."

"I left immediately and returned home. I cleaned myself up and went to wake my wife. I found her in our bed only minutes later. If it were not for the dark stain soaking the blankets beneath her, she would have looked asleep and peaceful. This was not the case because she was _dead_. I ran to my son's room and saw that he was nowhere to be found."

Nicholas paused for a moment, an expression of pain and regret momentarily taking over his normally stoic face. Damien had moved to stand behind Azrielle, fingers idly toying with her silvery hair. He seemed to be in his own world but he must have already known this story. Vangelis the ghost seemed to stare off into the darkness of the library, his expression sad.

"I heard something in the house and it seemed to be coming from my room so I carefully made my way back. I saw my wife lying lifelessly on the bed and I saw my wife standing next to the bed. There was two of her. The living one smiled and reached out for me but I knew it was not her. She then spoke and her voice was horrifically distorted. Her beautiful gray eyes had darkened to black and a malicious smile spread across her lips." Such a smile was foreign on a face like hers, he remembered.

"No, this was not my wife. Despite the horrific distortion, I heard the words clearly in my mind, "You have proven worthy of serving me. Now I know just what I can do," the monster had said. I realized something then. I had murdered my wife and I did not know what happened to my son. I knew what I had done but I could not remember doing it. I fell to the floor sobbing like a child, bewildered and disgusted."

"Looking up at the strange monster, I saw that I was looking at myself once again. I think that was when I lost it. I actually began to laugh hysterically. I really was insane. This creature had played such tricks on my mind. He made me kill my wife. I later explained that I had been at the church that night and of course no blame was placed on me."

"Such deceit from that monster…he toyed with the minds of anyone he felt would be possibly useful to him," Vangelis said quietly. "I truly believe that the alchemists had lost control of their creation and he was in turn controlling them."

Azrielle stayed quiet as they spoke. Damien still said nothing as he stood behind the priestess. Nicholas continued, "This shifty creature was not so powerful physically but incomparable with his mental force. He would have used me for more than he had if I were better at killing. Needless to say, he found a champion for his cause with a certain lord knight that had both physical and magical strengths. Unfortunately, that man was weak minded. I would go on with my story but it is drudging up painful and unwanted memories. I will leave you with one word, Azrielle."

"That word would be…?" she asked.

Damien then spoke up, his crimson eyes suddenly growing dark with hate, "Doppelganger." Azrielle was about to question them but at once all three disappeared. The disappearing act was slightly irritating.

--

Kaeru sitting outside of the inn he and Vance were staying at with Luzien and Angela, mostly thinking. The new guild council had turned down the idea of Azrielle's help and was now formulating a march on Prontera. The battle would be hell. Not long after he had been sitting in the shade of the building, Luzien joined him, plopping down to the ground with a broad smile. "What the hell are you so happy about, Luz?"

The high priest sighed contentedly and sent the wizard a sideways glance. "I had a good night." Kaeru shook his head with a grin. He was certainly the oddest priest he had ever met. They sat in silence for a while, enjoying the mild climate. Luzien was one of those people you could take with you when you wanted to relax. Unless thee wa a pretty girl around, he would simply kick back and nap.

Kaeru groaned as he saw a pretty blond wizard approaching them. He really needed to get a leash for the libido driven priest. "Excuse me, could you possibly point me in the direction of the weapon shop? I can't seem to find it," she said with a small laugh. Luzien grinned and pointed toward Geffen Tower.

"If you go down to Geffen tower, there's a diagram of the city by the doors. The weapon shop is northwest from there. It's easy to find."

The girl bowed, "Thanks so much!" With that she was off and Kaeru was giving Luzien a strange look.

"What's wrong?" the high wizard asked. Luzien didn't maul the poor girl so something must have been terribly wrong. Hopefully it was nothing serious.

"What do you mean?" Luz asked. "I just had a good night is all and I have to behave from now on." Things had gone _very_ well with Angela last night and he didn't want to ruin a good thing. Besides, the wrath of Angela was a scary thing.

"Eh?"

"I'm now a one woman man. Those Kafra girls really missed out."

"I'm still lost," Kaeru said scratching his head. Luzien, a one-woman man? What the hell? Then, as if on cue, Angela waltzed out of the inn and found the two sitting. She too was beaming with a smile. Once again, what the hell? Kaeru thought for a moment and suddenly put two and two together. Angela and Luzien shared a room. Oh…he never saw this coming.

"Good morning guys," she said in her usual cheery manner.

"Angela! You slept with Luzien?" Kaeru asked bluntly. The paladin's face went bright red and her eyes darted to the snickering priest. Angela covered her face in embarrassment. She would have to strangle him later.

"I didn't say anything, really! He's just smart I guess," Luzien laughed.

"Um, well, I have a meeting to go to," she sighed heavily. "The first assault on Prontera is going to be sooner than we expected."

"Hey! Kaeru! Idiot priest!" the three heard a voice calling. He peered around Angela and gaped at the sight. Jared, his former guild mate, was carrying one of his party members on his shoulder while attempting to help another one walk. Luzien leapt up and ran over to the injured trio. The female assassin sat down where she stood, looking ragged. Jared set down his other companion as softly as he could and motioned for Luzien to help him.

"What in God's name happened?" the high priest asked as he peeled away the assassin's blood soaked clothing from his body. The wound was deep and he wondered how the man had survived this long. He held his hands just above the injury and a pale greenish light seeped into the wound.

"There's poison too. He got me first so Jeremiah at least didn't get more poison in him than I did," the female assassin groaned. She had a shoulder injury that had bled furiously but the poison had weakened her. Kaeru went to her and knelt beside the woman.

"Being a former priest, I know a few things," he smiled. He laid his hand on her shoulder wound and let a bluish light flow from his fingertips into the puncture. She gasped as the magic worked its way through her body, neutralizing the poison.

"Something is wrong with that place," Jared said as he sat next to the still unconscious Jeremiah. "I'm not the only one who saw him so I know I'm not crazy."

"Saw who?" Luz said glancing up from the assassin.

"Me…I guess. Well, someone that tried to mimic me. He was the one that damn near killed these two. I don't know who he was though." Luzien nodded thoughtfully and turned his attentions to the assassin below him. He healed the puncture, the wound closing on its own. A priest's heal was a magnificent thing. It didn't magically make the injury disappear but it sped up the healing process infinitely. It was only too bad that the scars were still left. Now he just had to rid the assassin of any poison. He imitated the process Kaeru had done with the girl and soon the man beneath him was breathing weakly, but regularly again.

"I used to read a lot of books on monsters and such when I was a kid and there was one that could take the shape of any person. It's called a doppelganger. Some people think that it never existed but I've also heard that it may have been created by a group of alchemists. No one really knows for sure," Luzien said.

"A doppelganger, huh? It would explain a few things but it sounds farfetched," Hailey said as she checked over Kaeru's handiwork. "Thanks, Mr. High Wizard-Priest."

--

He had never bragged on his physical prowess and obviously with good reason. Those intruders had gotten out alive, he presumed, with the damned assassin cross. He could not quite match the assassin's skills and strength. Now he had a very large gash on his chest and that made him extremely unhappy. It was time to descend on Midgard.

"Athanas…" he said, using his power to send his words over the wind. "I have work for you. I have called you for weeks and have had no response. You must answer me this time." He had changed back into the king's form, though he still had the chest wound. He stepped up to the throne and seated himself. The Dark Lord was being stubborn for some reason. Perhaps he needed to shatter the dark lord's will again. It was such work the first time.

"Athanas, I know why you resist and it is ridiculous. The priestess can only pretend to love you for so long." He felt Athanas's mind stir at those words. "Have you forgotten your pledge to me?"

"_No_." He heard the infamous Dark Lord of Glast Heim say. The "king" smiled, knowing his victory was close at hand. He had pitted the guilds against each other and his puppet would obliterate the remaining adversaries after this war. Retribution was near and it left him content. He was not completely sure why, but he needed to bring Midgard to the ground. It was almost as if Glast Heim was practice.

* * *

**A/N**: More pieces are revealed :)


	9. My Love, My Pawn

**My Love, My Pawn**

It had been a long but interesting string of events. Azrielle was sitting on a cast iron bench in a garden near the castle, admiring the surviving floral. It was always dark and gloomy, but beautiful scarlet roses had managed to thrive here. The full blooms were only marred by the oddly large thorns on their bright green stems. The garden had long since grown wild but it was a gorgeous display nonetheless.

Only days earlier she had spoken to Kaeru and he had informed her of the intended march on Prontera. There was still another month before it happened so there was still time. Looking up at the overcast sky, she felt dead for once. It was as though the world had stopped. So far, she had hardly missed a beat and acted as she did alive. Simply put, it made her sad. The one thing she was beginning to enjoy was Damien and Vangelis. Lately, though, Damien had been scarce and barely said a word anyone.

"So, priestess, you think you can tame Athanas? I had him practically kissing the ground I walked on at one time. I really have no idea what he sees in you," a woman said with a sneer.

"What? Who the hell do you think you are?" Azrielle replied turning to stare at the huntress. After a moment, she realized that she had seen this woman before. She was the one Vangelis had told her about. She had had some sort of romance with Damien. Admittedly, the huntress was quite pretty. She had loosely braided chestnut hair and pale gray eyes. Her face was soft and sweet but the current sneer on her face was far from flattering.

"You know you don't belong here, let alone with Athanas. I suppose since no one else has, I will have to take care of this," she said as she pulled an arrow from the quiver at her back and lined up a shot with her bow. Azrielle was puzzled and angry. This woman, how dare she! The priestess stood and cast kyrie eleison on herself as the huntress let the arrow fly. It bounced off the magic shield and landed with a light rustle in the grass.

"You shouldn't have done that," Azrielle muttered darkly.

"I will do as I please and that includes taking Athanas back from you."

From the sky, the huntress's dead falcon dove toward the priestess. Summoning holy light, an incandescent sphere with pale blue veins of divine power coursing within it, she hurled it at the bird and sent the creature flying into a million different pieces. "Care to try again?"

The huntress growled a curse in response and sent a volley of arrows at the priestess with frightening speed. Azrielle was not going to have this.

--

Izlude had been a neutral zone until today. Something had enraged the king to send guilds in to destroy the small satellite city. Two large guilds were sent to Izlude. The Blessed Light guild of Prontera and Alexander's guild, Silver Crest of Juno, were the chosen. Both were large and quite formidable due to the size and skills of their members. They had benefited from the war in increasing their numbers. Storming the city had been far too easy. Their orders were to force the Izludians to join the king. If they refused, they would die.

The people of Izlude had made it clear that if it came down to choosing sides, they would _never_ join the king. They knew something was not right. The Pronteran Guard stormed the city, cutting down men, women and children alike. Alexander was a fierce monstrosity, especially with a priest and wizard by his side. "Mira! Firewall them!" he roared as they made their way into the city.

She regretfully obeyed and her screams of surprise and pain. She immediately set to work casting the infamous Lord of Vermillion. It was a flashy magic but deadly when highly developed. As soon as the firewall cleared, Alexander rushed forward, slicing through the wounded still standing. Mira lost track of the time, fearing for the innocent people.

"Alexander, is all this really necessary?" Mira asked. Their guild and another had just brought the Izludians to the ground. According to the king, the little city had been allowed to harbor the enemy for far too long. She never wanted things to end up like this, but it had happened. Ever since Kaeru and Azi left, she had been solemn and sad, following orders and nothing else.

"Just do as I say, Mira. I don't have time for impertinence. Now get rid of them like I ordered you to," the lord knight said sternly. Mira looked over the wounded laying on the ground and felt a wrenching guilt. They were helpless and most of them were just ordinary people. It was bad enough that she had hurt so many of them already. "Mira, get on with it."

The wizard reluctantly sent a hail of fire over the injured lying in the stone streets. Clothing and flesh caught fire and a stream of screams erupted. She turned away and fought back the tears. She wasn't a cold blooded murderer like Alexander had become. She reached into her cloak and pulled out a fly wing. The delicate, crystallized wing sparkled even as she crushed it in her hand. She disappeared and ended up about a mile from the Izlude Bridge. She wasted no time in hurrying away from Izlude and Prontera and away from the nightmare. She knew there was one place she could go.

--

Vance and Kaeru were patrolling around the outer walls of Geffen out of boredom. The new guild council had not come to a clear decision about how to march on Prontera so they had taken yet another break. Yesterday afternoon they had received word that Izlude had been massacred. The Pronteran Guard and the guilds with them gave no mercy to anyone. It had been terrible news and dampened the spirits of many who knew people from the small city.

"Hey Vance, who could that be?" Kaeru asked, pointing to two figures coming out of the city gates. He squinted but could not make out the forms just yet. As they got closer, they could scarcely believe their eyes.

"Mira?" Vance whispered. He was beyond relieved that his little cousin was okay for the most part and had even gotten to Geffen. Her face was tear streaked and her clothes were speckled with dirt and what looked to be blood. As she and the guard approached, she flung herself into Vance's arms, sobbing. "Mira, I can't believe it's you," he said softly to the wizard, stroking her pale blond hair soothingly. As Kaeru watched them, he noted that the two cousins really looked nothing alike except that they both wore glasses.

"V-vance…it was horrible," she managed between ragged breaths.

"Shh, just calm down first. You can tell us what happened after we get you cleaned up and calmed down." She nodded and peered behind her brother to see a familiar face. A faint smile spread across her lips.

"Kaeru…I'm glad you're okay."

"Thank you," the high wizard said to the guard who nodded and returned to his post. The two men escorted Mira into the gates and to their inn. Vance guided his cousin upstairs and to his room, Kaeru following a few steps behind. As they entered the room, Mira wearily took a seat at the edge of the bed while the two men scooted the two chairs in the room in front of her and seated themselves. "Okay, now tell me what happened in Izlude." There was a particularly strained tone in his voice and Kaeru was not sure why.

She took a deep breath and began to explain. "For some reason the king decided to strike cities. Since Izlude is closest to Prontera, it was the first to go. It's so small, they couldn't defend themselves against us. After it was clear that we had won, Alexander ordered a mass slaughter of all the wounded and all the prisoners…he told _me_ to do it…" She was beginning to tear up again and Vance scooted his chair closer and took her small hands.

"What—what about…"

"I d-didn't see them a-anywhere but I wasn't able to check the house. What if I killed them, Vance?"

"Who?" Kaeru asked.

"Our mothers," Vance answered weakly. "I haven't heard from them in months so I don't know if they were still in Izlude or if they left. We don't know anything yet so we can't assume the worst." Vance really could not think about their mothers being dead but having lost contact with them, he only assumed the worst. He didn't want to, but it couldn't be helped.

"Kae, come here," Mira said, reaching out for him. He got up and embraced the wizard. "You have no idea how much I missed you but I'm glad you left. It's horrible on the other side. In any case, it looks like you've done extremely well at Skyhaven. I knew you would," she smiled. There was never any doubt in her mind.

"Mira, there are things you should catch up on because this war has changed under your nose. First and foremost, the king is not the king. We don't know what exactly he is but from what we've pieced together from Jared's findings, the so-called king sounds like a doppelganger. It sounds strange but nothing logical seems to fit."

She looked back at her cousin. "How do you know the king isn't the king? It sounds silly to me." The two high wizards looked at each other and back to Mira, almost reluctant to tell her the gruesome story.

"Well, Jared and two assassins snuck into the castle dungeon and found the corpses of not only the late King Tristan, but also the corpse of his son, the new king. Obviously the king out there now and the dead king aren't the same." He didn't figure it was necessary to include the gory details of just what had happened at the meeting.

"The two assassins that went with Jared were attacked by someone who looked like Jared but they know it wasn't him. It's just more proof that this is all crazy." Kaeru grimaced. Things just made less sense as the time passed.

"_That_ is insane," Mira stated, obviously in disbelief.

"You haven't even heard the half of it. There was also an offer of an undead army," Vance replied. He grinned inwardly at the fear that something like that would cause the enemy though he probably would not have taken such an offer.

"What…?" She tilted her head slightly in question. Kaeru laughed at her reaction but turned serious once again as another thought crossed his mind.

"If you had the chance to see Azi, would you want to see her?"

"What do you mean? You know I'd love to see her but…she's dead…"

"You and I are going to Glast Heim. Right now," he said, pulling the wizard up. Kaeru shot a glance at Vance to make sure it was all right and he merely shrugged.

--

"God damn it," Azrielle muttered. This irritating huntress was about be sent back to hell. It turned out that she was no match for the priestess. With the crushing force of holy light, the woman fell back into the thorny, overgrown rose garden. She gave a weak cry as the many thorns pierced her. "Why couldn't you just leave me be?" Azrielle asked. The woman refused to answer. She just lay there, bleeding into the roses. After some time, the roses around the huntress began to turn black, wilt and die. "Lila…did he plant these roses for you?"

The huntress smiled weakly. "Of course he did…as a symbol of his love for me." Her words bit into Azrielle. She had a rather possessive feeling over Damien and hated to even think of him with Lila. It seemed sort of silly. She hated him but still cared for him on some level. She figured it was most likely because she could relate to him in so many ways. She knew what it felt like to be betrayed by someone she loved.

"You never loved him even a little, did you? You used him for your own personal gain. Unlike you, I care about him."

"You care for a monster then."

"Perhaps." Azrielle watched as the huntress slowly died, her death spreading to the rest of the roses. The delicate petals shriveled and lost their vivid scarlet.

"I knew I liked Azrielle," Vangelis whispered to Nicholas. The two were very satisfied that she had killed that vile woman that had tricked Athanas for so long. The two had heard a ruckus from the garden and had immediately gone to check it out. "It's really too bad she never knew Athanas before that monster changed him."

"We have all changed since then. Except you, Vangelis, you seem to have regained yourself." Nicholas regretted the way things had ended in their lives but even more so that he had ignored his friend's presence for so many years. Vangelis had been like a brother all those years ago and did not deserve the terrible treatment. Nicholas wanted things to change so he had gone forward and sought Vangelis out. "Come, let's go."

Azrielle had since left the new grave of Lila and walked leisurely back in the direction of the abbey. Suddenly she heard a shriek. It was not one of fear but shock. She came to a halt, turned in the direction of the sound, and saw two figures. Kaeru and…Mira! "Oh god, Azi!" she heard Mira yell. The wizard practically knocked over the undead priestess as she rushed up and wrapped her in a hug. Azrielle laughed softly and embraced her friend.

"Eww, you're so cold," she gasped at the smiling priestess.

"Yep, it comes with being dead it seems," she answered. Seeing Mira was a pleasant surprise and brightened her day considerably.

"I hate Dark Lord," she groaned, burying her head in Azi's shoulder. "I missed you so much. Things just aren't the same without you."

"I missed you too, Mira. Don't hate him though. Things have changed somewhat." She had somewhat overcome her anger for what he did to her. She hadn't completely forgiven him, of course, but she had tried hard to make the best of her days in this place. In return, he had tried to help her in a number of ways.

"Azrielle," came Damien's voice. She and Mira glanced over to see him standing by Kaeru. Kaeru apparently hadn't even noticed him until he spoke due to his surprised expression and that he nearly jumped out of his skin. "I apologize for avoiding you lately. I have had many things on my mind," he sighed, taking a few steps toward her.

"Since when was Dark Lord so hot?" Mira whispered, looking the dead lord over. Azrielle laughed at her friends comment and released her. Mira walked past Damien, eyeing him suspiciously and joined Kaeru again. The wizard was not at all happy to see Dark Lord though.

"Damien, I just want you to tell me things. I know you're keeping a lot from me. Important things."

"I know but I still cannot tell you for the time being. I only wanted to apologize." As he turned to leave, the priestess walked quickly over to him and put a hand on his arm. He stopped and looked down at her, contemplating on his own actions. He didn't want to push her further away. "Come with me. You may rejoin them in a few minutes." She followed him around the corner and down a walkway to the courtyard in front of the castle.

"I know that I have kept many things from you but…I cannot reveal this yet. He is still out there and is going to call on me again, I am sure." In fact, that monster had already called on him multiple times but he managed to ignore him as best he could. "I will fight it as before, but he had claimed complete control of me. There was nothing I could do to stop it. I was nothing more than a puppet. This is all I can tell you at this time, love."

"Then we just have to get rid of _him_ before he does anymore damage."

"It will not be that easy. He took Glast Heim alone and—"

"Damien, just stop. I think you're making him out to be more than he is," she interrupted. He remained silent, leaning down to take her lips with his own. He slid his arms around her waist, drawing her closer. This time, she didn't fight it but instead leaned into him, her fingers entwining in his hair. She couldn't honestly say whether it was for love or simply comfort, but it was nice.

Mira and Kaeru's jaws dropped as they saw something they thought they would never see. They really couldn't help but follow the two out of curiousness and spy on them.

"You two again. I do believe that it's impolite to pry."

The two jumped and looked back to see the dead priest standing with his arms crossed.

"This coming from the man who thought everyone's business was his own during life?" Vangelis's voice could be heard but the ghost remained unseen. "I hardly think it fair to accuse them of such things. You, my friend, are a hypocrite…and a book thief."

"You be quiet, Vangelis. Still, I'm curious too. Athanas at least found someone better than that horrible Lila woman. She gave him nothing but grief and gave me nothing but a headache. No thanks to _you_, Vangelis. You could never keep your mouth shut and your opinions to yourself."

"Erm…" Mira swallowed and inched closer to Kaeru. Dead priest, voice without a body, and Dark Lord kissing Azrielle. This was a scary picture for her. She wasn't sure whether to be horrified or not.

"I think you've scared her," Nicholas sighed and swatted at the vague mist of the scholar.

"What? _You_ are the one that scares people. I am just a ghost, minding his own business." The scholar wanted to be happy for Athanas, he really wanted to but a part of him didn't think it was fair. This time he kept his mouth shut.

"Please, in life, you were just as nosy as I was, scholar."

"Damien…" Azrielle tried to say between breaths but he refused to let her talk, silencing her with another kiss. "They're—watching—" she laughed.

"I am aware." He smiled faintly and kissed her again. It seemed that even Azrielle could not distract him from the thing clawing at his mind. It was happening just as it had before. Gradually he would lose himself and it was happening again. He could not let it. He could not become a pawn again.

"Kaeru!" Mira hissed. She clutched at his dark cloak, gaping at Azrielle and Dark Lord. "It's like…I can't look away! I want to but I can't." The two dead men shook their heads, slightly amused at the wizard's reaction.

"You would think that two people could have a bit of privacy in Glast Heim of all places but obviously not," Damien said, looking at the four spies. Azrielle grinned and relished the closeness despite prying eyes. In her mind, she envisioned Lila instead of her for some reason and felt a deep jealousy. She had gotten rid of Lila but for some reason the feeling remained. "Go on back to them," he said.

Azrielle nodded and made her way back to her two friends and put her hands on her hips. "So, were you two always so curious?" she asked with a slight grin.

"Azi…you kissed—eww!" the blond wizard cringed. "You know what? I'm not sure if I even want the details. Now, I'll admit that Dark Lord is really hot but…he's still…dead."

"So am I," the priestess laughed.

Mira shrugged and turned to Kaeru. "Thanks for bringing me, Kae. I think it's time we got back to Geffen though. I still need to talk to Vance about some things." She embraced Azrielle again and waved as Kaeru warped them back to Geffen.

--

_This was a dream, there was no other explanation for what he was seeing. It was like a snapshot of his past. He stood in the Glast Heim Abbey that had been unblemished by time. Pristine pale gray stone was in the place of the darkened and aged stones that he had become so accustomed. The rich mahogany pews were clean and free of decay as was the bright red carpet between the rows. It was most definitely a sight to see but the memories it brought back to him were more than he could bear. He stood silently admiring the Abbey when he heard the sickeningly familiar voice._

"_Athanas, why do you fight? This will be the same as before so there is no need to panic. If you will just let me do what I mu—"_

"_No."_

"_Athanas, you test the patience I have gained with you. For your own pathetic sake you will do as I command and—"_

"_I said no." In the next instant his mind and body was wracked with pain. How funny that history repeats itself._

"_Must we go through this _again_?" Athanas clutched his head, trying to block out the voice but nothing helped. "You did so well with Glast Heim so why not do the same but on a larger scale? Surely Midgard has caused you anger in one way or another. Suddenly the pain ceased and the voice disappeared._

"_Athanas…? I missed you," a vaguely familiar feminine voice broke the silence. He turned slowly, dreading but at the same time, hoping a certain woman was there. He was correct. He once loved her with his whole being but she had not only damaged his pride, but his heart. She was smiling, her hand reaching out for him. As pitiful as it seemed, he mourned the loss of her for many years and clung to the hope that she would meet him in the afterlife. _

"_Lila…"_

"_Yes, Athanas. Come here and hold me, I can't wait any longer for you. I thought you wanted us to be together." He felt so compelled to sweep her up and never let her go. Her chestnut hair was free from the usual braid and flowed freely over her shoulders. She wore a white dress, a wedding dress, and she was so beautiful. She chuckled softly, "I know you like to look at me but I would rather you touch me." There was a touch of innocence in those words but her meaning was clear._

"_Lila, I don't think…"_

"_Don't think! If you think too much you'll end up like Vangelis," she smiled. He walked toward the angel-faced beauty and stopped just out of arms length. He had never seen her in a wedding dress because she had made a fool of him and hurt him. He had gotten his revenge in the end but at the cost of her life._

_As he reached out to take her hands, he abruptly halted at a second voice. "Athanas...? What are you doing?" the other voice asked. He turned to see Azrielle watching them sorrowfully. "She doesn't love you, she never did. You know that as well as I do." His fearless silver haired goddess was right but she didn't know Athanas, only Damien, the Dark Lord. She cared for the monster that he was for some unknown reason. Lila, on the other hand, knew him for who he once was; who he _wanted_ to be once more. _"_Please don't go to her. If not for me, then for yourself," she pleaded and disappeared. _

_Looking back at Lila, he sighed and stepped back. She looked angry and suddenly he was back in the old, ruined Abbey staring at the doppelganger. "Your doubt will hurt you and I hope that it is painful. I _will_ be back to finish this."_

Dark Lord's eyes opened suddenly to find Azrielle sitting on the bed next to him. "Bad dream?" she asked. He sat up and shrugged. He had had his share of nightmares filled with shrill screams and hellish scenes. Most of which were actually memories. This dream wasn't like the others.

"Nothing I could not handle."

"So it wasn't a good dream then," she said, scooting closer and laying her head on his shoulder.

"Not at all. It was more strange than anything." She was somewhat relieved because she distinctly heard Lila's name. Dead or not, the woman had Damien latched onto her. Every day Azrielle felt more and more for her dark lord. She also felt growing doubt as well. She saw past the façade of the infamous Dark Lord. She didn't mind so much but she would have liked to see his former self.

"I went to Izlude today…no one has bothered to clean it up or give those people proper burials. I could hardly believe my eyes. From what I gathered, Alexander was merciless. He butchered people without a second thought and ordered his soldiers and guild mates to do the same. He's such a monster…"

"Then why do you not hate _me_? I did the very same to Glast Heim."

"No one is controlling Alex. You and others were controlled by that _thing_."

_Controlled or not it was wrong_, Dark Lord thought. If he could have changed things, he would. If only he had been stronger. "Azrielle, this is not something I want to speak of right now, all right?" he sighed.

She was quiet for a moment then moved from the bed and to the doorway. She turned to face him and spoke softly. "You know, you can't avoid everything forever. The world doesn't work that way. I do want you to tell me one thing, though. Do you still love Lila?"

Honestly, Damien was not sure what he felt, so nothing but silence came from him. He did miss the huntress. Silence, of course, was the wrong answer. It only added to his guilt which was already weighing heavily on his shoulders.

"I killed her a few days ago. Hopefully she stays gone," Azrielle whispered before vanishing out the door. There was one place she could go in Glast Heim for comfort when she couldn't get it from Athanas. The library, though as dreary as the rest of the city, was where she would find Vangelis. He seemed so much more normal, far less complicated and so honest. She found a dusty old sofa near the desk and sat down. It was only moments before she felt the familiar presence.

"Azi? Are you all right? You look so sad. I hate when women look sad, especially you," Vangelis said as he sat next to the priestess. She frequented his library so they had gotten to know one another fairly well. She was so pleasant and lively most times. She was such a refreshing change. The library was dim but he could see the contemplative frown on her face.

"That Lila woman…she's dead but she still worries me. Somehow, I don't think he'll ever let her go. She'll _always_ have his heart."

"You have no idea how much I hated her and what she did to Athanas. She was a vile person. If he refuses to see what a magnificent thing you are, I'll gladly take you!" he laughed. He was joking but then again, he wasn't. He had grown rather attached to Azrielle even though he knew there would never be more to their relationship. She wanted _Athanas_. He planted a feathery light, lingering kiss on her cheek and sighed. "He wasn't always so moody either."

"I can imagine. Every so often I catch a glimpse of what I believe is the real him. I think he wants to be who he used to be, but it's difficult since so much has happened him. To all of us, really."

"I think you are the only person, aside from us around here that can see that. I am willing to bet that's the reason you care for him at all. Since Glast Heim fell, everyone sees him as the wicked Dark Lord. I won't say that his behavior has been very good since then but you seem to be able to bring out the good in him. I think he's misunderstood but…I do think he _deserves_ it for what he did. He has done far too many unforgivable things."

"I know. I don't think he realizes badly Lila has a hold on him. Even in death. I heard him saying her name in his sleep. I don't know what he was dreaming about but I still worry. I guess I have eternity to figure him out. I just don't know that I have it in me to wait that long though. It gets so lonesome without someone."

"It doesn't mean you have to wait that long, silly girl. Make him realize that you're the best thing he'll ever have here." The ghost forced a smile.

"Okay, Mr. Know-it-all, were you ever married? In love?"

"Erm…well you see…I uh, wasn't very good with women."

Azrielle laughed. "Well, you cheered me up a little so you're good for something, right?" There was no denying that Vangelis was a sweet man. It was sad that someone like him was stuck in this place.

_Too bad I couldn't do more for you_, he thought. "Right. Things will turn out fine, I promise. I'll make sure of that."

--

He couldn't help but be pleased with himself. His trick in Athanas's dream had backfired but the seeds of doubt had been planted and were already growing. The priestess was the only thing that was giving Athanas any strength to fight back. Luckily, Lila had provided a good distraction. Jealousy and doubt were very controlling emotions. All he had to do was break Athanas and the priestess apart to go on with his plan. However, Athanas was not a sure thing. "Alexander?"

"Yes, my king?" Alexander answered. He had been standing at the door for some time, waiting for orders. He had not been told why he was summoned, only that he was to come.

"You have done well thus far, but your loyalty and your commitment need to be proven before I use you any further." If he was to find a replacement for Athanas, he would have to make sure that the replacement would follow his orders without question.

"My lord, I led the attack on Izlude and have followed all of your orders without a second thought. Was that not proof enough?" He was slightly offended by the "king's" words. He had given him no reason to doubt his loyalty.

The doppelganger king considered the lord knight's words and shook his head. "You have a brother, correct?" he asked Alex. If he were to replace Athanas, he had to be _completely_ sure. Unlike the Dark Lord, Alexander proved to be far easier to manipulate. He required almost no effort. The man truly had a black soul.

"Yes, three actually."

"The youngest brother…his name is Kaeru and he is a high wizard?"

Alex frowned at the mention of his outcast brother's name. Their whole family came from a long line of knights and to blatantly disregard the family tradition for priesthood was unforgivable. Duty was the main drive of their family. Since Kaeru was a small boy, they all knew that he would never truly be accepted into the family. They all came to shun him but Kaeru didn't seem to care. Now, he had come to find out that his little brother had become a wizard. "Yes…"

"Kill him and I'll consider keeping you close to me."

"With pleasure," the lord knight smiled maliciously. It would give him great joy to be rid of the family stain.

* * *

**A/N**: Thanks for reading!


	10. Broken Bonds

**Broken Bonds**

"Azi, you seem very quiet," Vangelis pointed out. The last few days she seemed rather aloof. All she had been doing was rummaging through the library, looking for something in particular. The priestess would go from shelf to shelf picking out a book and then discarding it. She didn't put all of them back in place either, it was certainly a librarian's pet peeve.

She looked up from her book and smiled at him, tossing the book back to the shelf. Not it. "What exactly are you looking for? I might be able to help you find it since I _have_ been the librarian here since I was alive," he chuckled. She didn't seem to be staying in one particular section of the library though.

She shrugged, "I hadn't thought about that. I won't know what I'm looking for until I see it though." Well that made perfect sense. Sort of.

"You still worry me. You've never been this depressing to watch. It is nearly as bad as Dark Lord," he grimaced. "Come on, you can tell me what's really bothering you, you know. I won't mind listening."

She paused and turned to face the ghostly scholar. "I guess I'm just more confused than anything…I'm not sure."

He nodded and drifted over to her. He could easily guess what was on her mind. He knew she was beginning to doubt how she felt about Athanas, but who could say that her feelings were any more than that of a caring friend? He could hope for that anyway. It was easy to pity Dark Lord, though he would kill you if you ever told him that. Vangelis, despite his differences and own wants, wanted to see his old friend happy…or did he?

"Dark Lord still?" She nodded. "This is a tough one, you know? The Dark Lord you see now is completely different from Athanas. They are the same person but time has changed him drastically. He is not even the friend he used to be. Unfortunately, he is a monster regardless of what we would like to think."

"What changed him? I mean, why would he let himself do such horrible things if he was really a good person to begin with?" The scholar grimaced at her questions. There were many things that changed Athanas but the start of it all…was Lila. This fact was glaringly clear. She had been nothing but trouble from the start. Even before she and Athanas... Just the thought of her left him angry.

"You know, it began with Lila, of course. She was only the beginning of a much deeper problem. Nicholas and I knew right away that she was not genuine. I, being the intelligent and opinionated scholar that I am, told him right away how I felt. Terrible idea…" If he had only kept his mouth shut, things might have turned out differently.

"You two don't get along very well," she pointed out. Vangelis seemed to be disliked by both of his former friends but from what she could tell, it was not his fault. The circumstances were just not in his favor.

"It used to be Nicholas and I that argued all the time but that was just the way we worked. We bickered like brothers rather than enemies. I'll tell you how the friendship between Athanas and I all but ended." She looked curious and waited for him to continue. It seemed like all she heard from any of them was about their past and many memories, but was it not all they had left?

"_Evening!" Vangelis shouted from across the courtyard. The lord knight was on his way to the Legion's main office in the castle when he saw the scholar waving from the doors. He must have been waiting for him for some reason. To be perfectly honest, he had no desire to see the scholar. These days he was nothing but a nuisance. Their friendship had been teetering on the edge and he was not sure that their bond would survive much longer. He would try to repair the friendship but Vangelis made it very difficult. As he approached, the scholar took a few steps toward him. "I, um, wanted to apologize…" he said, his blue-gray eyes cast downward._

"_For?" Athanas asked. This was rather interesting._

"_For saying all those things about Lila. Now, I still believe all of that but I could have said it more appropriately." This was not the apology he was expecting from the scholar but it was a start. The gesture was more important than the particular words._

"I just wanted to try and make things right, or at least a little better. It's all I wanted." Azrielle nodded as he continued.

_After a moment, Athanas continued up the steps and into the castle. He had to drop off his report to the Legion office for the king. "Athanas? Wait for me!" Vangelis whined. Here he was trying to make peace and the bullheaded knight did not say more than one word. How very rude. He followed his friend up a flight of stairs, taking guess that he was headed to turn in a report of some sort. "Sooo, nothing to say? Come on, you were never one to stay silent." Vangelis took a few hurried steps to get ahead of Athanas._

"_I believe it is you that always talks too much. What do you want anyway? I really have things to do." The lord knight said as he continued walking. Vangelis gave him a questioning look and sighed in annoyance. Things just weren't the same between them. Not only that, but Athanas had been acting strange lately._

"_I'm trying to apologize." The disheartened scholar was a few steps ahead of Athanas as they strode through the brightly lit hallways of the castle. As he rounded a corner, he froze, whirled back around the corner and stopped in front of the knight. Oh god, he thought to himself, this was terrible. If he could hold off Athanas from turning the corner, he could perhaps save his friend from… _

"_Vangelis, what are you doing?" he asked. The scholar was blocking him from going any further. Well, he would have to use force to move him. He grabbed Vangelis's arms and pulled him out of the way. "You really are a pain," he muttered as he walked around the corner._

"_Athanas, wait!" He started to reach out for his friend but pulled back as he saw the knight freeze, his hands balling into fists. It was too late now. He saw Lila before him, lips and arms entwined with some crusader. She was far too busy to notice her former love standing ten feet away._

_Yes, Athanas's heart was broken and yes, he was extremely upset. For some time, there had been a rage welling up inside of him and now, he was trembling with the release of that rage. He never in his life felt such anger and animosity toward anything. Something within him had just snapped. He then turned the other way but stopped next to Vangelis. _

"The look on his face then was...it was terrible. I had never been afraid of my own friend until that moment. The look in his eyes was nothing like I'd ever seen in him before. It was a look of utter hate."

"_If this had anything to do with you, so help me God I'll make sure you regret it," he whispered maliciously. Something was terribly wrong with the once pleasant lord knight. He stalked off, dropping his report on the stone floor without a care. _

_Vangelis ran a hand nervously through his dark brown hair and leaned up against the wall. He was terrified. He was simply terrified at the look in Athanas's eyes and the tone of his voice. Hearing light footsteps, he looked up to see a smiling Lila who had stopped near him. _"_You…you..." Vangelis began, "...you've made a _horrible_ mistake."_

"_Is that so?" she replied sweetly, "I didn't think so." With that, she left. The crusader she had been with nowhere in sight._

"After that, things began to change for the worst. Not just Athanas, but many people began to change. I even started losing myself. I noticed things here and there before that, but after that incident, Athanas was not the same person I had met as a boy," Vangelis said softly. He had his face buried in his hands, his ghostly figure wavering. It pained him to think of the way things used to be. It was so wrong when the good memories were the ones that truly hurt.

"I really did try to get along with him…it just did not work after she came into the picture. You know, he still terrifies me." Azrielle watched him silently, nodding in understanding. Sadly, the past cannot be changed and the memories of pain linger. She wished she could help but she knew that she was merely an onlooker. She would have liked to see Nicholas, Athanas and Vangelis before all of this. "Well, anyway, sulking helps nothing. What triggered you to start rummaging through the library?"

"Glad you asked," she grinned. She had a hunch about something and she knew she could find the answer in here somewhere.

--

The doppelganger king looked intently at the woman before him. She was frowning, staring at the wall to her right. She was no more than a ghostly haze, hardly able to do anything more than exist. He could tell that simply existing far past her time angered her. "I'm very disappointed. I thought surely that you would be able to take care of this problematic priestess. Lila, you performed flawlessly the first time. Why not this time?"

Lila slowly turned her gaze toward the "king".

"It isn't my problem this time. I did my job the first time and now I just want to rest! I did not ask to be brought back! You have nothing to offer me because I don't want _anything_. Just leave me be!" She was seething in anger.

He shrugged and she suddenly disappeared. He had no further use for her. "Alexander, you had better perform better than she did," he said to himself.

--

Night had fallen over the outskirts of Prontera and the party of three settled down in front of their fire. Kaeru had been sent along with a sniper and an assassin to scout around Prontera but so far, no threat had appeared. It must have all been within the city. "I still don't know why they sent me to scout with you. It isn't exactly my area of expertise," Kaeru wondered aloud. The sniper, Naomi, a mellow young woman with auburn hair chuckled.

"Well, you're good back up I guess. I would think that they're trying to keep everyone busy. I'm just glad to get out of Geffen. I was about to lose my mind if I had to sit through another meeting. Unlike Hailey," she said gesturing to the assassin next to her, "I don't get to go on the fun infiltration missions."

Hailey stuck her tongue out childishly and grinned. "At least you didn't have to carry a dead guy." She was more shaken about her last trip to Prontera castle than she let on. Hauling a bag of bones was not bad but she and Jeremiah could have easily died if not for Jared.

Just then, Naomi's falcon landed rather lazily next to her, a rolled up piece of paper tied to her leg. The sniper removed the paper and unrolled it. As she read, a grimace crossed her face. "We have scouts on the other side of Prontera and it looks like they've spotted a lord knight leaving the east gate. Seems like the cloaked assassin saw the Silver Crest emblem on the knight."

Kaeru hung his head knowing that his older brother was near. He was only glad that they were about four miles from the south gate. "Alexander…"

"Oh, you know him?" Hailey asked.

"Unfortunately he's my oldest brother." Hailey and Naomi glanced at each other with knowing looks. The tone in the high wizard's voice was a dead giveaway that the two brothers were not on good terms. "We ought to get some sleep, don't you think?" The two women nodded, laying back to enjoy the full bright moon until sleep claimed them.

Unbeknownst to the trio, Prontera's eyes spread much farther than they anticipated. Alexander dismounted his grand peco and approached the sleeping party. Tonight he would rid his family of an unwanted blemish and enjoy every moment of it. As he stood over his younger brother, he paused to wonder who in their right mind would have let him become a high wizard.

The firelight cast a menacing shadow over the sleeping wizard as the lord knight raised his sword. Before he could swing, Naomi's falcon dove, talons scraping across Alexander's face. He gave an angry shout as he clutched his blood streaked face. "Did you really think we were that easy to get?" Naomi laughed as she aimed an arrow at him, "Silly knight."

"You obviously didn't plan very well," Hailey yawned as she assumed her fighting stance. Kaeru could only stare up at the large form of Alexander as he lay in a very dangerous position.

"Kaeru, we're sorry we didn't let you know that we already knew about this but it was for the best. Now get up and come over to us." Naomi ordered as she watched the knight with sharp eyes. He scooted out of Alexander's reach and walked to the sniper's side. In a situation like this, he would have been dead if not for the keen senses or the insight of the girls.

He knew that his powers were formidable but only at long range combat. He was as good as dead in close combat. He didn't believe that he could think and cast fast enough to get close to the enemy as of yet. Despite being a high wizard, his skills were new and raw. He had the magic strength but his control was not quite where it should be. Vance had warned him of this because Kaeru's power was potentially dangerous for teammates if it got out of hand.

"I didn't come here to play with you two little girls. I came here to kill _him_," the lord knight sneered as he cast a deadly glance at his brother. Kaeru could only stare and worry. "I won't leave until you're dead, even if that means I have to kill them to get to you."

Hailey lifted a skeptical brow at the knight's threat. Surely, he realized that he was outnumbered and could not possibly win.

After a bout of silence and glares, Kaeru spoke up. He could not risk Naomi and Hailey getting hurt. They seriously underestimated Alexander. Could it be possible that he was also _over_estimating his brother? He knew one thing for certain. He was finished letting his brother walk all over him. "Could you two give us plenty of room? I don't want one of my spells to hit you on accident," he said. The two women gawked at his words.

"You can't be serious!" Hailey exclaimed. "He won't give you any space to cast and you can't fight him up close!" Kaeru smiled weakly and motioned for her to move back.

"Don't worry. I've already thought about that."

"Hailey, this is his fight. Obviously we can't interrupt," Naomi said softly, understanding that Kaeru felt he needed to do this. She still felt uneasy letting him fight alone against the knight. If he did become unable to fight, she and Hailey could always step in. Still, it made her stomach turn knowing that she was allowing this fight.

"You really are stupid, Kaeru. You can't possibly win." Alexander laughed, "You were never any good at anything. Not swordplay, not healing and I'm damn sure you're not any good at spell casting."

"I don't really feel like talking to you. Let's just get this over with." Kaeru sighed as he held his staff close to him. He gripped the staff tightly to hide the trembling of his hands. Hopefully this wouldn't turn out to be a mistake.

In that instant, Alexander rushed toward him, sword ready. Kaeru instantly cast firewall and knew right away that it may not have been such a good idea. Alexander gave an indignant snort and swung his sword straight through the flames, narrowly missing the wizard. Kaeru took the chance to back up and get himself back together. As much as he hated to admit it, his brother had always frightened him. If he could stop the knight from moving, he could easily end the fight. Unfortunately, Alexander was never one to make things easy for people.

--

He tried to fight in Glast Heim. He truly tried but in the end, it was of no use. At the time, he was slowly heading toward a breaking point. He had been overly stressed with all the sudden problems in the city, his heart had been torn in two and something in him was changing. He was slowly and surely pushing everyone that cared for him away as he fell deeper into despair and darkness. He shunned even his two closest friends. Every time he was near Vangelis, the scholar was silent and nervous and tried to find any reason to leave his presence.

He never wanted that to happen. He never meant for things to turn out like this.

It was not long before he began to hear the voice of reason; or so he thought. The voice turned out to be full of lies and selfish wants. Much to Athanas's dismay, he fell easily into the deceitful world of the doppelganger. The creature twisted him into the murderous monster that he was now. The infamous Dark Lord. He loved death and to be the cause of death. The more blood he spilled, the more satisfied he was. Yet…it was never enough.

Now, here he was again. He sat in the dark, listening to the lies of the doppelganger. On one hand, he was comforted by death. To bring death to Midgard would surely make him happy again. Would it not? Perhaps it would only cause him to sink deeper into his pit of lonely misery. No…the doppelganger had promised him happiness, but wasn't the doppelganger a liar? So why did he hang onto the creature's every word in complete belief?

"_Athanas, why would I lie to you_?" Indeed, why would he lie to his favorite tool? Yes, he was a tool and nothing more. "_You did very well with Glast Heim and it made you happy to get revenge on all those who hurt you, correct?_" Glast Heim did nothing to Athanas. He knew this very well. It was only Lila that hurt him more than he could believe. He had reached his breaking point when he saw her with another man that night.

"Glast Heim was not enough?" he asked the seemingly empty room. It was not empty, however. The doppelganger lingered in the dark lord's mind, scheming and deceiving. Athanas did all he could to ignore the creature prying into his mind though it was no use. For weeks, the doppelganger had intruded his thoughts and dreams. Things were suddenly changing even in the deadness of Glast Heim.

There were no people training on the undead, no Nicholas or Vangelis bothering him and no Azrielle. It seemed that there was something troubling her and so she avoided him altogether. From the moment he first attacked her, to the current moment, something drew him to her. She may have been the only living person to ever take the chance to see the man he once was since he had become the Dark Lord. She had given him a chance and he had thrown it away because he could not let go of that damned huntress.

"_Athanas, you really are pathetic. What made you think that you could ever feel love after the one woman you truly loved threw you away_? " Yes, chances were, Azrielle only pitied him. What was he thinking? What was the point of going on to live within an undead life of pain and regret? The doppelganger could not offer him truth but he could offer him solace by making him into the pawn he was before. A pawn without his own thoughts or feelings. He could get away from the reality he hated so much. He hated the kingdom of Rune-Midgard with an unmatched passion.

He then stood and placed his horned skull mask on his face and surrendered himself to the power of the doppelganger.

--

"Reeve Blackwood? Now that is absurd," Nicholas sighed. Vangelis and Azrielle were blurting out idiotic ideas about the doppelganger and who they believed he was. It was just ridiculous. Even if it was whom they thought, why had no one noticed before now? "Actually, the idea is just outright stupid," the priest muttered. Did they honestly believe this? Vangelis wholeheartedly believed in his and Azrielle's findings.

"Nicky! Why are you so stubborn?" Vangelis burst out suddenly. Azrielle tilted her head a bit, looking back and forth from the ghost and the priest. Obviously what ever it was, was bothering Vangelis very much. The two often erupted into argument like this and all she could do was watch and wait until they had finished. "What the hell happened to the other Nicholas? You used to be nice, albeit evil sometimes but…not anymore, you've changed so much. I seriously do not believe Julia would have liked what you turned into."

"Quiet. Do not bring her into this."

"Hit a sore spot, did I?" the ghost spat venomously. Nicholas's expression had darkened and he stared off into the depths of the library. The dusty shelves and time-decayed walls were not that interesting. "I wonder what Julia was thinking when you killed her," he continued rather thoughtfully, his gaze never leaving Nicholas.

Azrielle gathered that Julia was Nicholas's wife. It was apparent that the priest still carried some sort of burden when it came to her death. It seemed that every soul stuck between life and death was weighed down by something. Love, hate, grief…no matter the cause, it never left them.

"Come on you two, just sto—"

"Stay out of this!" Vangelis and Nicholas exclaimed at the same time. She immediately closed her mouth and looked away. It was probably not her best idea to interrupt them. "Sorry, Azrielle," the two said in unison again before quickly turning back to glare at one another.

"If you could just hear us out, maybe you'd see why we think the way we do," she said, trying to distract the two dead men from one another. Vangelis had told her that Reeve Blackwood was no stranger in Glast Heim history. He was a famous alchemist in the city until he was exiled. The church and the king had found a secret project of his and knew right away that he had to be banished. His lab was destroyed and he was sent out of the city.

During the next few years, all of his works were rejected and forgotten in not only Glast Heim, but also all around Rune-Midgard. What the condemned project had entailed was never released for the public eye so it remained a sort of mystery. Six years after being exiled Reeve was murdered. No one knew or admitted to whether it was random or if it was an intended assassination.

"Azrielle, we all know the story of Blackwood but after he was exiled, no one really knew what he was doing. He was always a secretive man. No one really heard any more about him until he was murdered."

"Nicholas, we found other evidence in the old alchemy lab down the hall from the library." She held out a journal stuffed with loose sheets of paper. The priest took the supposed proof from her grudgingly. As he opened the journal, Vangelis and Azrielle watched him. They knew he would change his thinking after he saw the proof they had found.

Azrielle's first hint had been an entry in a guards watch log. The guard had overheard two of the foreign alchemists talking and heard the name of Reeve Blackwood. Thinking it might be something, he noted it in the daily log but it appeared to have been ignored.

She then paid a visit to the eerie lab down the hall from the library. After some searching, she found a treasure trove of information hidden away in a desk. She immediately called Vangelis and within the journals and random notes they discovered that new project of those alchemists was Reeve himself. Whether he had been assassinated or not, they did not know, but Reeve had been resurrected into what was now the doppelganger. He had strange power and a different appearance so he was not so obvious to everyone.

"I'll be damned…" Nicholas whispered.

"Well, we have been damned for a few hundred years so it's a little late for that," Vangelis sighed. "Now, none of us are alchemists so much of the technical details do not make a lick of sense. We only know the outcome. Then—"

"Be quiet, will you?" the priest frowned.

As the two men were about to restart their bickering, a wanderer approached. His skeletal face was expressionless. The three watched him for a moment before Azrielle spoke up, "Is something wrong?" The pale skull nodded as he stepped closer to the trio. Something must have been wrong.

"Dark Lord has left Glast Heim," he said quietly in a raspy voice. Vangelis stared at the skeletal warrior with a blank expression, trying to comprehend what he had heard. Dark Lord never left Glast Heim unless it was about Azrielle. In fact, he had left only a handful of times since he had died and it was with or about Azrielle. He could not have gone under that creature's orders. He just could not. "I can only assume it is because of the doppelganger." The wanderer gave a low bow and left the three of them alone.

The scholar turned to look at Azrielle and saw that she had turned the other way. He could see her slender hands balled into fists out of anger. "Azi?" he called gently.

"I know he won't just slaughter everyone _against_ Prontera, he'll kill _everyone_. Including those serving that bastard doppelganger won't he?" she asked. Her tone wavered slightly with building rage.

"Yes, most likely he will do just that." Nicholas sighed, "I do believe that there is a method to…Reeve's plan. He may be a raving mad man but he has a plan." He could scarcely believe that a repeat of events was about to unfold.

"Ha! See? I knew that was who he is!" Vangelis exclaimed triumphantly. Much to Nicholas's annoyance, he did come to believe that the priestess and scholar's findings were correct. The pieces of that puzzle fit together just right. Reeve must be getting revenge against Midgard for forgetting him. It was just difficult to believe that no one had seen such an obvious mystery. "So what might that method be?"

"I am almost certain that Reeve intends to let Midgard war with itself until he is satisfied and then he will send Athanas in to kill the remaining people. I cannot believe he was not satisfied with the death of our city though." Or with the death of the city's people…the death of my wife, Nicholas thought.

Each memory of Julia's smile, her laugh, her love…all of it hurt him. It was his own fault that he could not control his actions. He had killed her and he spent every moment of his after life regretting it. His one comfort was that his son had not died but only disappeared. He later found of that someone had taken him out of Glast Heim and he had lived on. The proof was his descendants. "I have to go somewhere. I will be back later," he said and hurried out of the city of the dead.

--

Mariah sat in one of the studies at Geffen Tower, trying to calm herself down. She had exploded angrily in her last meeting. Nothing was going according to plan and no one seemed to care. There was nothing but chaos everywhere and she just could not understand why Christopher chose to do nothing to control the situation. Laying her head on her arms, she heaved a sigh. "Calm down, Mariah…" she mumbled to herself. She had always been such a patient person and thought that it was one reasons she had become a high priestess. Perhaps she was wrong.

"Just like my wife," a man said. Mariah glanced up in alarm. She had not heard anyone enter the room. "Worry not, I would never dream of hurting you."

"You were that priest with Azrielle a while back," she said, still uneasy that there was a dead priest sitting across from her. She abhorred the undead but mostly because they frightened her to no end. People generally thought that being a priest meant you had no fear of the dead but that was not always the case.

"Indeed," he smiled. "I needed to talk with you about some things."

"Why me?" she asked suspiciously. He chuckled at her distrustfulness. She had every right to be, but he was desperately seeking answers so that just maybe, he could find out finally what had transpired the night he killed his wife. He truthfully had no memory of it and it didn't look to be coming back. He just needed to know because he felt that his time was coming to an end.

"Well, you are the only one who _can_ help me. I have a feeling that you do know who I am, right?" Nicholas asked. "I need to know what happened to my son. He was obviously saved somehow but…how?" He was near pleading. After over 300 years of mourning and regretting and ignorance, he had to know. He had to end this nightmare he called the afterlife.

Mariah gave a weak laugh as her fear was confirmed. "My dead ancestor, are you? Ever since that…rumor…began, the Locke family has endured such tragedy. We're a small family due to the untimely deaths of nearly every member. It's a lot like a curse. One that _you_ started."

"While I am completely in the dark about the events of that night, I must admit that I did murder my wife. I—I …have no excuse except that I was not myself." He knew this was coming and he had to endure it. It hurt him like hell to remember that course of events but it seemed like the only way. Mariah leaned back in her chair, giving him a look that seemed to be passing some sort of judgment. She really did look like Julia, he noticed.

"All right then," she began, "From what I know, your son was taken to a church in Geffen in the middle of the night. The priests that he had been left with only knew that the man that brought the child to them was the father. He was a priest as well and the description of the man matches you. Obviously, you took him out of Glast Heim for some reason that night." What _had_ he been doing that night? If only he could remember…

"Mariah, I only want you to know that I never would have done such a vile thing to the woman I loved so much. The thought I cannot even bear right now. I just…" Mariah stood from her chair and moved to the other side of the table to stand next the priest. It was obvious that he could not have been in a sane state of mind when he did what he did.

"I know you wouldn't. It just doesn't change the fact that it happened. I only wonder how we will all survive against such a terrible being." She laid a hand on his shoulder, seemingly forgiving him. He looked up to meet her distant gaze.

"As long as I am around, nothing will happen to you." How else could he atone for his sins? Could anything truly redeem him? They heard the creak of the study door and as she looked over, he disappeared.

"How are you holding up, Mariah?" Christopher had come to check on her. She shrugged and glanced at the chair next to her. It was empty.

* * *

**A/N**: R&R please as usual. Lots of love and cookies to my readers!


	11. Be My Dreams

_GrAyLov3_: I fixed the error last chapter. I didn't even notice until you said something. Silly me :3

_Lady Light_: Trouble indeed!

_ShadowChocobo_: I shall emit an excited squee. SQUEEE! Read it all in one sitting, eh? Must be a good story XD /preens

Let's just jump right back into the story, shall we? Chapter 11!

* * *

**Be My Dreams**

Thus far, Kaeru was far from winning. He could not get the spare moment he needed to go on the offense. He had not expected Alexander to be _this_ fast. Suddenly the knight swung his sword but it turned out to be only a distraction and he kicked Kaeru's legs out from under him. Unfortunately, Kaeru's staff landed out of arms length and he had nothing to block the blade coming straight for his chest.

Something in his brain clicked just then and in a split second, he drew the moisture from the air and created a thick layer of ice over the targeted area of his body. There was a cracking sound as sword met ice. The ice managed to stay in one piece, but Alexander did not remove his sword as one would have thought. Instead, he applied more monstrous pressure, further cracking the ice barrier. "You're worthless," the knight spat.

The wizard had expected Alexander to become frustrated and step back rather than keep on his attack. He was beginning to squirm in panic as the blade cut deeper, cracking the layer of ice. Relax, he thought to himself, there was always a way out of any situation. With a quick triumphant grin, Alexander barely had time to turn around as the ground behind him shot up into jagged spikes and knocked him off his feet.

His last minute plan, though it worked, also backfired. The force of his own attack caused Alexander to be pushed forward, therefore breaking the ice and impaling the wizard.

The two women gasped and Naomi, about to rush forward, was stopped by Hailey grabbing hold of her quiver. "Wait--look," Hailey whispered, pointing at Kaeru. He was moving slowly. Apparently, his fidgeting under the ice shield had managed to move him slightly to the left. He was injured, though it was not fatal if given the chance to be healed.

It seemed that sword wounds were not like the fairy tales. It was not heroic looking and it hurt like hell. He had never been impaled with a sword before and he never wanted to go within twenty feet of a sword ever again. He pushed the broken ice shield off and tried to sit up but he was pinned to the ground. The blade had gone all the way through him, cracking a rib or two and piercing his lung. He was already short of breath and he had a feeling that if he removed the sword, things would only get worse for him.

With a sigh, he laid still and focused his energy on healing the wound somewhat before pulling the sword out. He couldn't do anything about the bones just yet. He could hear the lord knight beginning to come around, his armor clinking in the still night. Damn it all, Kaeru thought. He needed more time to at least get on his feet. "Now I really want to kill you, little brother," he heard Alexander grumble.

Kaeru yanked the sword from his wound with a hiss of pain. He had healed the major damage inside of him but he did not have the time to completely close the gash or fix the bone. No matter, living was a higher priority at the moment. He scrambled to his feet as he heard the sound of quickening footsteps.

Before he could turn around, a gush of blood erupted from his stomach. As he looked down, wide-eyed, he saw the blade protruding from the new wound, glistening with his blood. This gave a new meaning to being stabbed in the back, the wizard thought wryly. "How did…" he gasped finding it difficult to form any words. Where did this other sword come from? He hadn't noticed it before now.

"I always carry two. You never know when you might need the other," Alexander said quietly, slowly pushing the new blade further into Kaeru. Blood trickled from his mouth as he tried to speak to the knight. There was another option, albeit a dangerous one if he wasn't careful.

"I think…you…just gave me a chance…to kill you." His mind was clouded with pain but he knew he had to take this chance. He lowered his hands to the blade and closed his eyes.

"Try if you can but it might be difficult since you're moments from death, don't you think?" Kaeru ignored the knight but sent a reassuring half-lidded gaze to the girls watching him fearfully. He smiled as he saw the blood freezing into ice crystals on the sword. It traveled down the length of the sword; the cold of the ice was a shock to his body as it passed through. It was difficult to keep the path of the ice on its intended path since his mind was fighting to focus on his injury instead.

"So you've given up, have you? I thought that just maybe you would have been more of a challenge. I have to admit that you did surprise me with that earth attack. You know, you—what the hell is this?" The knight looked down in alarm and saw that ice had encased his hands over the hilt of the sword. He was suddenly feeling faint and incredibly cold.

"I thought that a cold blooded monster deserved cold blood." Kaeru coughed, the coppery taste of his own blood taking over his senses. His dizziness made it difficult to remain standing. Alexander would not likely survive the inside of his body being frozen. Even so, he would go one step further and finish him off completely.

"You little bastard!" Alexander groaned as his limbs quit working. His heart slowed and came to a halt, along with the rest of his internal organs. Kaeru staggered forward, giving out a cry as he removed himself from the sword. He turned to see his brother standing motionless, his hands still grasping the sword.

The crackle of electricity came from the wizard's fingertips as he prepared to cast jupitel thunder. A sphere of yellow-white lightening formed in front of him and with the flick of his wrist, sent the ball of lightning toward Alexander. It hit the already dead knight with great force, breaking the ice knight into hundreds of tiny pieces. Thank God it was over, he thought as he collapsed onto the crimson spattered grass beneath him.

"Kaeru!" the girls shouted in unison as they rushed forward. He really did not want to die but he did not have the strength to stay conscious to heal himself. At least he won. "Naomi, you have butterfly wings, right?" Hailey asked frantically.

----------------

"Oh my!" the Kafra in the south of Geffen exclaimed when she saw the lifeless body of a wizard being carried by a sniper and an assassin. "What happened?" she asked worriedly. Naomi shook her head as she glanced at Kaeru.

"We don't have time to talk about it; I just need to find the nearest priest as soon as possible."

"R-right! I spoke to a party of priests earlier this evening that were headed for the inn just couple of minutes west of here," she said pointing. The sun had not even risen yet so chances were, everyone was sleeping but they had to get Kaeru to a healer and fast. She honestly did not think that he could last another couple of minutes. She and Hailey had tried to stop his bleeding but nothing seemed to help.

She began to move quickly toward the inn with Hailey and just as the kafra had said, there was a small inn coming up on their left. She pushed the heavy wood door open and a dozing innkeeper woke with a start. In the dim light, he took a moment to comprehend what was going on and gasped. "Sir, we were told that some priests were staying here. Can you tell us where they're staying? Please," Naomi breathed. Kaeru was heavier than he looked.

"Up the stairs and the third door on the right," he replied, still staring at Kaeru's limp body. He was dripping blood on his clean floor…

The two women hauled the wizard up the stairs and counted the doors until they came to the right one. Hailey rapped on the door until a drowsy priestess grumbled and opened the door.

People never leave us priests alone, she thought to herself. They could not even get peaceful nights sleep. "We're sorry to wake you but we desperately need help. I don't know how much longer he'll live," the sniper pleaded. The blond priestess took a moment to look at Kaeru before waving the three inside. Two other priests were moving from their slumber in the dark room from the commotion.

The priestess turned on a lamp and set to work. The two equally sleepy priests seemed to know exactly what they needed to do without a single word. "Lay him here," the priestess pointed to a blanket she laid out on the floor. The two priests moved to either side of Kaeru, removing his cloak and shirt. The wounds looked deeper and bloodier now that they were not covered.

"We can move him to a bed later but it'll be easier to start this way. Adrian, Ryan, you keep healing while I look him over. The priestess checked his vitals and fought back a knowing frown. There was barely life in this wizard. As she inspected the wounds, she noticed that there were traces of mending. It was as if a priest started healing him but could not finish.

"Hey, Karina, doesn't he look familiar?" the raven-haired priest asked, still focusing on healing. She shrugged and moved her inspection on to the second wound. There was something reflecting the lamp light in the gash. Curiously, she gently stuck two fingers in and pulled out a bloodstained shard. It was cold…like ice. Interesting, she thought. The whole wound was actually very cold. She figured he knew that the icy cold would slow down the bleeding somewhat. The two priests looked at her as she peered inside the wound. There were smaller ice shards inside but they would melt.

"What is that?" Adrian spoke up again.

"Ice," she said with an amused tone. "High wizards bring back most interesting injuries. He does look a little familiar though." She noticed Ryan's silent grin as he shook his head. "What is it, Ryan?"

"I remember him. We used to pick on him when we were acolytes. Kaeru, wasn't it? I only saw him once after he became a priest. So, he's a high wizard now, huh? Funny how things work out." Looking up to the two women standing by the door, he smiled. They did not look like they had a scratch on them. The blood streaking their clothes was not even theirs it seemed. He was quite curious as to what happened but now was not the time to ask.

"Do you think he'll be okay?" the assassin asked. She would hate to see him die. She wanted to help him so badly but he had elected to fight alone. As an assassin, she often did her missions alone and her views on a human life were far different than most. The loss of life didn't affect her as much as it probably ought to. She still found it difficult to watch Kaeru fight his brother. The odds were not in his favor but he did win. Karina glanced over at the two women and shrugged.

"It's hard to say. He's lost a lot of blood and if he does survive, he'll have to rest for quite a while to gain back his strength. We can only heal the injuries and see how he does."

"Do you mind if we leave him with you for a bit? I'm sure he's in good hands and we need to report back," Naomi said quietly. "We'll be back sometime later to check on him."

"Sure, sure. We'll do our best," the priestess said as she went back to her ministrations. The two women left without another word and made their way down the hall. Naomi was so deep in thought that she bumped into a woman walking through the hall.

"I'm so sorry," the sniper apologized to the woman. She looked to be a lady knight in an Amatsuian armor. She had long dark hair pulled back tightly and she seemed to have a very familiar face. The woman nodded and continued on her way.

Hailey and Naomi then hurried out of the inn and back to Geffen Tower. Their scouting mission had been a complete failure but there was one less enemy. The sniper did not think that they would be in trouble though, the lives of their party members were far more important.

------------------

The wanderer had been correct. Dark Lord had indeed left Glast Heim. Vangelis and Azrielle had stopped looking and now sat on the steps of the abbey. Neither had said much but both knew that the situation had just gotten worse. The sun had begun to rise but in Glast Heim, it was forever overcast and foreboding. They were both curious as to where Nicholas had gone off to earlier that night but neither had wanted to bother him about it when he had returned.

"Hey Vangelis?" Azrielle said, breaking the silence. He glanced over, meeting her with a smile. She wondered for a moment why he said he was never very good with women. He seemed rather charming to her in the time that she had known him. "I know that Athanas and Nicholas have done things they regret and they live on to do so, but what about you? You've never really said much about your past."

"Well, to be honest, there is not much to tell. I never killed anyone, I never allowed myself to be part of Reeves madness but I do remain for a reason. I was always completely alone." This wasn't his topic of choice at all. Nevertheless, he would answer her questions.

"Alone?"

"I had no family; the last of my name. I grew up in the church orphanage until I became a mage at age thirteen. I met Nicholas there a few years earlier but only because his father was a priest. We became good friends after we met and I treasured him above all others because he was all I had. He was like a brother to me. We trained together every chance we got and a year or so after I had been a mage, we met a swordsman named Athanas. I liked him because he was always optimistic and looked out for everyone."

Vangelis paused for a moment, reveling in the blissful memories of his days as a mage. He had managed to forget about the aching loneliness of not having a real family in those days. It was hardest on holidays in the orphanage because it was a sad reminder. After meeting his two friends, it all seemed to go away.

"We always caused an assortment of trouble. Sometimes it was nothing, but sometimes we were in for serious punishment. All in all, we enjoyed it. We spent the years in happiness until the trouble with Reeve came about." The scholar's expression then fell from a smile into one of hurt. "After that, I started feeling alone again because Athanas and Nicholas were drifting away. On the day Athanas killed me, I was more afraid of spending eternity alone rather than dying. Once he had done the deed, I could not bring myself to move on. Not until they do. There you have it."

Azrielle had not quite expected this. She never realized that he felt this way. He always seemed to be such a cheerful person. "Didn't you ever try to get married and start your own family so you wouldn't be alone?" she asked. It just seemed that if he were so lonely he would want to start his own family. He laughed and shrugged his shoulders.

"Like I told you before, I was never good with women. My nose was in a book most of the day so I suppose I missed out. I did try sometimes but most said I was too "bookish", like it was a horrible thing." He made a displeased face that caused the priestess to laugh. "Believe me when I tell you that I would have loved nothing more than to have a family but it just did not work out that way. Perhaps if I had more time."

Vangelis had always been disappointed in how his short life had been lived and ended. He would have liked to share a life with a woman he loved. He would have liked that very much. It seemed funny and just a little cruel that when he found a woman he could imagine himself with, she was unattainable.

"At this point, all I want is for Nicholas and Athanas to work out their problems so that we can go on…I refuse to go until they do. This is also why I have clung to you the way I have. I've been so lonely for so long and here are, befriending me. You have done quite a bit for me. Of course," he paused with a thoughtful expression, "Now we have you. Why won't _you_ go? I highly doubt you have done anything to regret."

She was a bit surprised with the question but after a moment of thought, she smiled. There were quite a few things actually and none of which truly had anything to do with her. "I don't think I was ready to die yet. I have to at least see this stupid war to the end." He wondered if there was something more to her reasons. The scholar tugged a handful of her long silvery hair playfully and let his arm drape over her shoulders.

"Silly girl…is that all?" No, it really was not but did it matter? "I see. Well, let's not worry ourselves over something trivial. Did you notice that the sun is red?" he asked. It was a common bad omen in many cultures and it seemed to be right on schedule. It was only a matter of days before a war officially began.

"Yeah." She felt herself sinking into a foul mood the more she looked at the rising sun. She stood and brushed off her deep purple uniform. She wanted to find Nicholas and speak to him. Whether Geffen wanted her help or not, they were going to get it.

---------------

Getting to Prontera was a simple matter, for nothing would dare attack the Dark Lord. He had hidden away inside himself, wishing to become the mindless thing he once was. It worked…somewhat. He could not quite escape his thoughts and memories. It was as if he was eternally stuck within them. They attached themselves to him and weighed him down. Primarily, they consisted of Glast Heim and the hell Azrielle would bring upon him when she found him.

In all likelihood, he would let her do her worst. He did deserve any punishment he had coming. The tiny sliver of the moon cast only minimal light upon the sleeping lands of Midgard. The ever-present moon was the only witness to all the secrets of the world. It was the one thing that he could not hide from. It did not matter though. He would be in Hell soon enough, at least he hoped.

He had concluded, after his initial death, that death was the eternal contemplation of life. It truly made sense because all he _could_ think about was his life. In the first few years, he pieced together his memories and realized that the Doppelganger must have planned very far in advance. There were little things here and there that made him rethink some of the decisions he had made. One of the things he had always thought odd were the dreams he had every so often.

For a long time he could never remember the dreams he had when he woke up but always felt that he had been shown something momentous. Only, it was momentous in a terrible way. The last dream he could remember from his days of living was perhaps what spurred his initial interest in Azrielle. His dream had been of a priestess and his own final death…death at her hands. Since his first death, he killed every priestess that entered Glast Heim that looked remotely like the one in his dream. It was Azrielle, though, that had captured him with her strength of will.

Even that particular dream was vague so he paid no mind after some time. Turning his attention back to the quiet night, he halted his step and brought a hand up to his mask. His façade that people feared grew tiresome throughout the years. Perhaps the priestess in his dream was indeed Azrielle. He removed the mask and turned a distant gaze to the sky.

"Is it you? Was it you that haunted my dreams, Azrielle? Is it you that broke the will of a monster?" The wind picked up slightly, seemingly answering his questions. "Perhaps you were always my dreams and nothing more." It was a strange feeling that was welling up deep within him. It felt like sorrow but not of self-pity. It was for his loss of one last chance of happiness and the last chance of being the man he started out as. Ah, he thought, so this must be regret.

"No point in feeling sorry for yourself, Athanas." The new voice was disheartening. He turned to see the owner of the voice behind him. It was the doppelganger, of course. He was currently in the form of his former self, Reeve Blackwood. Athanas had known for many years who the mysterious creature was originally.

Reeve had been thoroughly disappointed in hearing about Alexander's utter failure not long ago. He had hoped that he could control him in the same way as he controlled Athanas. Now, it did not matter. He was especially pleased that he had managed to sway his old pawn to do his bidding once again. He could still see that the lord knight had reservations, but he was here so everything was going according to plan. He had not laid eyes on Athanas since before Glast Heim fell but he looked the same as ever. Long dark hair tied back loosely and crimson eyes that burned with animosity. Most likely, animosity toward him.

"I had hoped I would not have to see your face until I reached Prontera," Athanas said as he crossed his arms, mask still in hand. He was a very imposing figure but he did not seem to scare Reeve.

"I thought you'd give me a warm welcome. I suppose you are ungrateful. I gave you such strength and power and you give me hostility. Not a fair bargain I would say," the doppelganger sneered. How he loved to play with the dark lord. To be able to twist and mold him into what he wanted gave him supreme delight.

"Obliterating the population of Glast Heim and soon the rest of Rune-Midgard is not thanks enough?" the lord knight asked bitterly. The former alchemist was deranged and horrible yet he still gained the use of Athanas. On one hand, he did not want to hurt anyone else. Azrielle above all. Killing everything she knew would create a dark stain on her heart that no one would be able to lift. On the other hand, he felt he had nothing more to lose. His mind was a mess of conflicted thoughts.

"It no longer matters so come with me to Prontera. We have many things to discuss on the way. You will wait until this little war is finished and then you will crush the remaining on _both_ sides." Athanas replaced his mask and followed the doppelganger. When would it all end? He wanted to die but he was too much of a coward to take his own life and no one else would dare try. He ached so badly for death to come.

------------------

"Nicholas? Nicholas, I know you're in here somewhere." Azrielle called out. Her voice echoed in the spacious room that was very familiar now. The abbey was just an ordinary abbey but must have been grand in its former days.

She walked down the center of the room and sat down on the steps in front of the altar. "Nicholas, why are you hiding?" she spoke again. Something had happened to him while he was away. She saw him step from the shadows and sit at the end of a pew to her right. She gave him a soft smile, hoping she could find out what was bothering him before she asked him the favor she needed. "Did something happen?"

He heaved a sigh and looked at her with a grief stricken expression. "I went to see someone…one of my remaining family. Not much was clarified but I did find out that I took my son to Geffen on the night I murdered Julia. It seems that only I know for sure what happened that night but I cannot remember."

"I see. Do you think you'll ever remember?" The dark priest merely shrugged. He truly had no idea if he would or not. "Could you help me with something?" she ventured. She had figured out which cities had allied with Prontera and the results were frightening. He gestured for her to continue and she took a deep breath.

"Of all the cities, only five have allied with Geffen and one, Izlude, had already been razed. This leaves Geffen, Morroc, Comodo and Lighthalzen. There's a problem with Lighthalzen though. For them to assist at all they'd have to go through enemy territory and so I think they mean to defend only their city. Nicholas, the Geffen forces are going to be slaughtered at this rate. I can't let this happen."

"Why are you so concerned about the world of the living? It does not concern us," he said dully. Nothing really mattered anymore. She gave a hurt sigh and looked away.

"You don't have to do anything but one thing. I just need you to help me organize the undead. Please, I need your help. I'll never ask anything of you again," she pleaded. She could not bear to see any of her friends die. She would never be at peace if the worst happened.

As the priest considered her favor, he thought back to his conversation with Mariah. He did say he would protect her and it was the least he could do. I do this for you Julia, he thought. He stood and walked closer to Azrielle, stopping just before her. "First Glast Heim and then we take a trip to Nifflheim. The advantage Geffen will have is the help of the undead. When Prontera loses a soldier, Geffen will gain a soldier. We have many things to do if we are to aid them in time."

Azrielle nodded in understanding. "So where do we start?"

"Glast Heim should be easy to organize but Nifflheim…they may not be so cooperative without Dark Lord's presence." He had been to Nifflheim just twice since his death and both times and the creatures that called that place home badgered him. They did not like the living and they did not like the dead that did not live there. He was not looking forward to going to that place again.

--------------------

Karina heard a knock at their door not long after the other two women had left. Adrian and Ryan had finished healing the unconscious wizard and moved him to one of the beds. They removed his bloodied cloak and clothes, and tucked him under the blankets. Karina went to the door and opened it ajar. There was a serious faced lady knight looking back at her. "Can I help you?"

The woman nodded. "The wizard in your care, is he alive still?" she asked, her expression unchanging.

"Um, yeah. He's still unconscious though. He might be for a while. I'm sorry, but do you know him or something?" the priestess asked. The knight nodded and peered past Karina at the figure laying motionless on one of the beds.

"May I come in for a moment?"

"Sure…I guess," the priestess replied a bit hesitantly as she opened the door wider to let the woman in.

The knight walked in, and bowed her head to the two priests attending the wizard. She stopped at the side of the bed and looked Kaeru over. Her dark eyes noted that he had matured considerably since she had last seen him. He had been fifteen when she had seen him last, after all.

His hair was longer and he had grown to be a fine-looking young man. She reached out and pushed his dark hair from his closed eyes. He stirred a bit, his eyes opening slowly. He looked dazed but did not have the energy to do much other than look. He stared at the lady knight for a moment before he recognized the woman before him. He had not seen his mother in a very long time.

The relationship between Kaeru and his family was severed long ago, his brother Alexander perhaps the only one of them wanting some sort of use out of him. At the age of five, Kaeru was sent to join his older brothers at the academy in Izlude. He was really a terrible swordsman. He understood all the tactics and skills but he could not perform them. He never wanted to be a knight anyway. His mother and father looked down on him and often compared him to his brothers.

By the age of nine, his skills had barely improved and he began to contemplate another job. His parents would loathe the idea of him not becoming a knight. One day, one of his instructors sent him on an errand to Prontera. He was delivering a package to one of the priests. The job was simple and of course, he could handle it.

After he delivered the package, he saw a group of acolytes studying under a tree near the front of the church. Out of curiosity, he walked over, said hello, and asked what they were studying. One of the girls pulled him down next to her and showed him the particular things they were studying that day. She had long silvery braid and bright, friendly green eyes. This was when he met Azrielle. She was perhaps the most talented in the little group and easily the friendliest. From then on, the teachings of God seemed very appealing to him. He wanted to become an acolyte.

The head priest of the acolyte school in the church happily accepted him into training soon after. When he told his parents that he had become an acolyte, they were appalled. He received a harsh scolding and a cold shoulder from both parents. Not even his stern mother was gentle on him. The days passed and he continued his acolyte training with the help of Azrielle.

Days before his fifteenth birthday, Alexander found him and relayed a message from their parents. Kaeru was no longer welcome home. They were ashamed that he would not join them as a swordsman and future knight to serve Prontera. Duty and honor above all, was a common motto in their family. Of the seven deadly sins, pride was the sin of his clan.

Hurt and sad, he remained in Prontera in the care of the church. Azrielle was very supportive of him and became the family he needed. She had really done so much for him. One day, after attaining the rank of priest, an invitation was extended to him and Azrielle from the Silver Crest guild. Alexander's guild.

He never knew why Alexander brought him to the guild in the first place but he made Kaeru miserable the whole time. Despite his brother, he met Mira during his stay with Silver Crest. She and Azrielle took the roles of protective sisters. It was history from then on until he left and joined Vance's guild.

Kaeru had been a terrible swordsman and a mediocre priest but he finally found what he was supposed to be. Being a wizard felt right. Vance did admit giving Kaeru the rank of high wizard was a bit rushed, but he assured him that he deserved it. His power and control was raw but formidable. All he needed was work. Turning to the present moment, he mother only watched him intensely. She was a rather daunting woman and probably one of the most skilled swordswomen you might ever meet but she was stern and quite unfriendly.

"…Mother…" The word was almost soundless. He did not realize how weak he was until he started to move. Well, he tried to move anyway. He knew his wounds had been healed otherwise he would probably be dead. "What do you want?" he asked, glancing around the room. The three priests were vaguely familiar.

"I came to find you. You're the only one of the family that did not join with Prontera." There was a faint hint of disappointment in her voice. The three priests glanced at one another at the mention of the capital city. This set a new mood in the room. Kaeru averted his eyes and said nothing. "Something is wrong there. The king doesn't seem like the king…either way, you should be _there_. Not here."

"It's because he's...not the real king," the wizard said simply. The knightess lifted a skeptical brow.

"Excuse me, who are you?" Karina asked none too nicely. The lady knight turned to the bold priestess and gave a wry smile.

"Noriko Tierce, lady knight of Amatsu." She bowed, her expression turning icy. "Also Kaeru's mother," she added. Looking back at her son, she had another question in mind. Alexander had suddenly left Prontera. He didn't say much other than he was going to find Kaeru. She had gone after him but he was nowhere to be found. "Where is your brother?"

"He's dead."

"…Dead?"

"I killed him," he replied stoically.

"You _what_?" she asked in alarm. She hoped to God that her ears had deceived her.

"He tried to kill _me_ first but obviously he couldn't. If you want find him, you might find pieces of him about four miles south of Prontera." The three priests were a bit taken aback but his rather morbid words. Kaeru felt numb. He had killed his brother, in self defense of course, but he still felt nothing. No regret or shame.

Noriko seemed at a loss for words as she sat on the adjacent bed, quite dumbfounded by this new information. There were things she needed to know and she intended to find them out.

**

* * *

A/N**: I get the feeling that DL is going totally emo on me. There's a lot of Kaeru in this chapter I noticed. I don't mind though, I luff high wizards…except during WoE… 

I'm starting to wonder why I like to throw my characters into near death situations. Heehee…hahaha…gahahaha :3


	12. Beginning of Eternity

Chapter 12 has arrived!

* * *

**Beginning of Eternity**

The words uttered from her youngest son's mouth were shocking. She had never expected things to come to this point. It was certainly true that Kaeru had been mistreated. He was not loved and cared for the way he should have been. She did blame herself because she put her duties above her own children. At the same time, she regretted nothing. People often remarked on how she could be so cold and unfeeling to everyone.

It was simple, though. It was the way she was raised and it was the reason her husband married her. Yes, the Tierce family thought she was indeed the perfect addition to their family. She gave birth to Alexander first. He was such a source of pride and success. Her next two sons, twins, were just as successful and talented as their older brother was. Her last child, and most disappointing of all, was Kaeru. Unlike Alexander, whom looked like their father, Kaeru and the twins were the spitting image of their mother. Kaeru inherited her looks but nothing else.

They had been optimistic for Kaeru and would soon learn that their hopes were to be crushed. He would never become a knight and follow in the family's legacy. He chose his own path. In her heart, she did commend him for having the mettle to go against his whole family but she also had conflicting thoughts about it. Instead of forcing her youngest son to endure the abuse of the rest of the family, she banished him from home. She gave Alexander the message to pass on because she could not do it herself. Even so, her decision was supported wholly, though their reasons were not the same as hers.

Here he was now, almost nine years later. She wanted badly to reach out and touch him, hug him and say that she loved him but no, she could not. Yes, she was a harsh woman but she was his mother all the same. Chances were he would reject her anyway. He lay there staring at her, a look she had never seen on his face. His anger and hurt were all too easy to see despite his weariness. She stood from the bed and took a step toward Kaeru.

"Look, lady, he needs to rest and you're obviously not good for his health so I sugg—" Karina said venomously but was interrupted by the tip of a glimmering katana hovering in front of her face. She had barely seen the lady knights movement. Even for a middle-aged woman, her reflexes were frighteningly fast. Unfortunately, a priestess is really no match for a knight.

"I'm not finished here so you will do well to close your mouth and stay back," Noriko snapped. After the priestess moved back to stand by her companions, Noriko moved next to the bed Kaeru lay in. "Why did you kill your brother?" Her heart broke when he first said the words. She could cry in privacy later but now, she needed to know. Kaeru still said nothing. "Why? Why would you kill your own brother?" she asked again, this time a bitter tone in her voice. She thought that she had at least instilled values into her children.

The wizards fingers wrapped tightly around the blanket angrily as he sat up. "Why did I kill him? I just killed him before _he_ could kill _me_! I know he's the pride and joy of the family and I'm the outcast but he deserved it. God, what the hell do you want from me?" he exclaimed. "You wouldn't have come here just to see me, so tell me what you want already!"

She was taken aback from his outburst and winced as he fell back against the pillow tiredly. To be honest, she did not have a reason other than she had a feeling that something terrible was going to happen between her sons. She knew that the king had taken a particular liking to Alexander but she had suspicions about their leader. Her intuition had been right…sadly.

"Kaeru, don't think for a moment tha—"

"I don't wanna hear your excuses, Noriko," he said softly as he rolled onto his side, facing away from her. He had expended what little energy he had.

He called me Noriko instead of mother, she thought sadly. She had lost two sons, in reality. One was dead and the other hated her. "I'll be in Geffen for another day or two before I go back to Prontera," she told him as she turned to leave. The high wizard did nothing but lay silently. "Good luck…" she added as she closed the door behind her. The three priests looked at one another and then at Kaeru.

"Kaeru…?" Ryan said, peering at the bed. "Should we go turn her in?" The knight was, after all, an enemy.

"No, she knew I wouldn't turn her in either so don't bother." Adrian stepped forward to check the wizard over one last time before they all went to sleep again. Kaeru laid unmoving under the priests hands. Things were most definitely at another low point in Kaeru's life. Adrian then paused as if he was going to say something.

"Are you going to go see her before she leaves?"

"I think she wants me to but I'm not going to. I don't want see her." He could only hope that he did not see her on the battlefield. He was not for sure how he would react to that situation.

"You know, I'm sorry for all the teasing I did to you back in training," he said as he pulled the blankets back over Kaeru. "I was a stupid kid and so were they." He pointed to the other priest and priestess who looked away guiltily. Kaeru nodded in understanding. He never really held it against them because Azrielle usually made it her business to deal with them.

"I'm sure Azrielle gave you what you deserved on more than one occasion." He smiled faintly at the memories.

"I kinda wish she was still alive."

Kaeru laughed weakly and nodded. "She's only technically dead."

"Technically? What do you mean?"

"You're familiar with the undead, right?" Adrian's eyes widened.

-----------------

Azrielle and Nicholas stood at the first entrance to Nifflheim. He was rather hesitant because he disliked the city of undead _that_ much. The humid air hung about the tropical area with a life all of its own. Lush plants and sparkling waterfalls filled the area and it seemed like such an odd place to be so close to Nifflheim. Azrielle nudged Nicholas forward and soon they were in Skellington. She could feel many eyes on them as they began walking. She had never come here in life because it was so far out of the way. Nicholas was scowling back at the eyes hidden amongst the bushes and trees. "I hate this place," he muttered.

Suddenly a group of disguises, as they were called, seemed to pop out of nowhere and block their path. "Look at the priesties!" one cackled.

"Did they come to get us?" another said in mock fear. Nicholas merely stepped forward and hit the first one in the head with his staff. The disguise looked utterly insulted.

"He hit meeee!" the creature whined as it floated in circles around Azrielle.

"Come, Azrielle," Nicholas said, grabbing her hand and pulling her along with him, "We have a little ways to go before we reach the town.

They walked for quite a while through Skellington, the priest glaring at the creatures popping in and out of sight the whole way. Azrielle could not help but laugh as Nicholas swatted at a nosy gibbet. She wondered why the undead here like to irritate Nicholas so much but figured he must have done something for them to be acting this way. They made their way to the town, past the rather adorable loli ruri's. Nifflheim was not as dark and depressing as Glast Heim she had always thought.

The main paths were lined in dead, gnarled trees and the sky seemed to be eternally in dusk. The old buildings were shadows of their former quaintness but still it created a rather picturesque setting. Glast Heim lacked the "warmth" of Nifflheim. Well, as warm as a city of the dead could get. Finally, they approached the entrance to the town; Azrielle looked on with a mixture of emotions. She was certainly familiar with the place before them but she had not been there in quite some time.

"I suppose we should seek out that damned deviruchi." Nicholas said as he stepped through the gate.

"The deviruchi? You sure about that?" she asked. She would have preferred another creature…

"Well of course. If we must convince any of them, it must be him. The rest will follow in suit." He stared at her for a moment and crossed his arms when she had yet to move. "Why are you so hesitant all of a sudden? It was you who insisted on coming here."

"Er…I—um…it's nothing. I just spaced out a little," she laughed nervously. Surely the deviruchi would not remember her so there was nothing to worry about, she reassured herself. The priest grabbed her hand again and pulled her along, across the bridge. The ghost of a swordsman watched them idly as they walked by. Down the stone streets they went, past randomly placed head stones and old-fashioned wrought iron fences. They reached a familiar building a few minutes later.

Heaving a sigh, Nicholas turned the doorknob. "Let's get this over with." Azrielle followed him inside, closing the creaky door behind her. The dusty old floorboards squeaked as they walked toward perhaps the most difficult creature in Nifflheim. He was not difficult in strength, but difficult to deal with. He was easily the most disagreeable creature Azrielle had dealt with.

They entered a new room and there sat the little demon at a table near a broken window. He looked up at the two guests with beady black eyes. With a mischievous grin, he leapt up and pointed his pitchfork at Azrielle. "Come back for another divorce, eh?" he snickered. Nicholas turned and gave her a questioning look.

"_Another _divorce?" the priest asked.

"Ah…no, no, he and I aren't married."

"Hmm," the demon remarked as he looked back and forth between the two priests. "Last time I saw you was when you were alive, priestess. Zombie kill you or somethin'?" Azrielle shook her head. Unfortunately, the havoc she caused when she visited the demon last time created a lasting impression.

"Dark Lord actually," Nicholas added, still eyeing the priestess.

"Huh, what a way to go. So if it's not a divorce then what is it? I'm a busy demon, ya know. I've got divorces to finalize and people to torment."

"Go on, ask him." Nicholas prodded.

"I need your help. Well, actually, Midgard and Glast Heim need Nifflheim's help." The deviruchi looked at her for a moment before he shook his little head vigorously.

"No can do, lady." Azrielle gawked at him. She would happily toss the troublesome creature out the window _again_ if he did not comply. "No trouble like last time either!" he added, seemingly knowing what she was thinking. "Besides, why should I help you? If it were soooo important, wouldn't Dark Lord be here?"

"If he were not about to kill everyone that does not die in the coming conflict in Midgard, he would be." Nicholas answered.

"Nah, I don't really believe you. Now go on and leave before I sic a mob of monsters on you." He moved toward the two priests, poking at their legs with his pitchfork trying to shoo them out of the room.

Azrielle's slight frown turned into blatant irritation at the demon's actions. "Now look here you little punk!" she said angrily as she leaned down and poked him with a finger. "I didn't want to come here and ask for help but the only way that you're going to get anymore divorce customers is if they all don't die. Dark Lord will make sure of that if they don't all kill each other first. If you know what's good for your health and your wallet, you're going to convince the rest of Nifflheim to help me."

The demon stared at her wide eyed while slowly nodding. "Geez lady…you're worse than last time you were here. Fine, I'll tell them all to do what ever you ask but chill out," he huffed, rubbing at the spot where she poked him rather roughly. "Temperamental woman…" he grumbled.

"Glad we could come to an agreement." She smiled in relief. "I'll let you know when and what we need soon, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. Now scram." This time, the two priests left without a fight. Nifflheim did not turn out to be as bad as they were expecting. All they needed were a few threats.

When they reached the entrance to the city, Nicholas paused. "Azi? You seemed to have neglected mentioning a divorce. I had no idea that you were married before." The priestess stopped walking and shrugged. It was not the happiest point in her life.

"It was a big mistake…"

"Who was he?" he asked curiously.

"Just a guy that isn't worth talking about. He turned into a completely different person after we got married so it only lasted about a year before I finally got the divorce," she explained. She really thought he loved her but apparently, everything he had ever told her was a lie. Whom he was, how he felt, none of it was true. It hurt her for a while but she got over it.

Thinking back on it, she was more angry than sad about it all. Mira always teased her about her unlucky streak with men. She always somehow found the ones with the most problems. Athanas, for example, was a complete mess. She knew that deep, _deep_ inside him was a good person like the Athanas Vangelis always spoke about but that did not mean that he was not still the Dark Lord of Glast Heim.

"I see. Unlucky in love like Athanas is," he chuckled. Nicholas was not sure of the relationship between Athanas and Azrielle anymore. They were really very much alike but so far apart in many aspects. It was clear that Athanas had lost his humanity and his beloved priestess had cracked the inhuman part of him to see who he really was. If only he had been able to meet her instead of Lila. He had a feeling that Lila was connected to Reeve in one way or another and that she was part of the scheme to break the lord knight down.

"I've kind of shied away from relationships since then. Things were awkward at first with Athanas because he took a weird approach. I'm not sure why he just suddenly had an interest in me. After I died, I spent more and more time with him and I saw who he was in bits and pieces. I also had these strange dreams but I don't know that they were real. He's a tortured soul if I ever met one. Rightly so maybe…" she said.

"You want to know a secret?" the priest grinned.

"I can't pass one up."

"Athanas did not have a "sudden" interest in you. He does not kill _all_ the people that he sees in Glast Heim, you see. Just the ones that looked like you. He pointed you out to me one day and we watched you for a while. He watched you quite a bit whenever you came to train but the day he attacked you, I think he was testing you. I do believe that that was the day he fell for you and he fell hard," Nicholas said with a faint smile.

"…but why?" she asked.

"It must have been because you did not fear him. He admired your strength and passion against such odds." The priest paused for a moment and a quiet laugh escaped him. "He was also lonely. Now, he would _never_ admit that or fall for just anyone. It was just something about you that captured him completely. Perhaps it was the fabled "love at first sight". The way he looks at you is nothing like the way he looked at Lila. He did love her, no doubt, but you make him feel so much more than she ever did. Anyone can clearly see that."

Athanas made him promise not to tell her these things but the priest thought she deserved to hear them. He, Athanas and Vangelis might be damned, but who is to say that they could not try to find some sort of comfort before their end? Tomorrow is the day that the war was scheduled to begin. He would be heading to Geffen to play guardian to Mariah as he had promised. He would leave Azrielle to her plans and he had no doubt that Vangelis would help her. He held onto a faint hope that the four of them would rest soon.

-----------------

"Tomorrow."

"Yes, tomorrow."

"You sure?"

"For the millionth time, yes."

"Do we have to go?"

"_Yes_," Angela sighed. It was a bit comforting that Luzien was as anxious as she was. She was scared and quite close to panic beneath her calm exterior. They sat on a bench by the large fountain in south Geffen, trying to enjoy peace and quiet before tomorrow. She had forgone her armor today and wore a simple blue and white dress, as she usually liked to wear instead of the big, bulky armor.

Luzien's head fell to rest on her shoulder, one of his hands snaking up to her chest inconspicuously. She took a deep breath sent a silent prayer to the dusk sky. She wanted the coming war to end with as few deaths as possible. Rolling her eyes, she swatted his groping hand away. Luzien suppressed a laugh, knowing that she hated him "feeling her up" in public. They were not paying a great deal of attention to anything outside of the two of them so they did not hear the light footsteps approach.

"Sorry to interrupt but Mariah wants to see you, Luz," a young acolyte said as she approached. The red headed girl smiled nervously as Luzien lifted his head to look at her.

"Did she say what she wanted?" he asked. He really was not in the mood to talk about war.

"Um, no, she just sent me to get you." The high priest nodded and stood hesitantly.

"Duty calls, love." He sighed, leaning down to kiss Angela. She waved as he followed the acolyte to Geffen Tower. As she watched them leave, she saw another body headed toward her. The man looked rather disgruntled as he approached. Something must be wrong, she thought to herself. The man, a fellow paladin, saluted her and spoke quickly.

"Angela, there's been a change of plans and it's not a good change. Christopher wants all knights, crusaders, and paladins to gather in the north part of the city. He's asked for all other soldiers to gather elsewhere but he's been amassing any available priests too. I think he intends to attack Prontera _tonight_."

"You're kidding…" she groaned, burying her face in her hands. This was just great. The paladin shook his head, sharing the same dread as she was. She pushed herself off the bench and looked at the paladin.

"I just need to change and I'll be in north Geffen as soon as possible." He nodded and the two went their separate ways.

The dusk sky was changing from a brilliant purple and pink to a dreadful red, a sure sign of blood to be spilled this night.

-------------------

Mariah had been charged with the entire priest population existing in Geffen and those incoming from Morroc and Comodo. Christopher had informed her early that morning of what he wanted her to do. The quickest way to Prontera was, of course, through warp portals. Therefore, priests and acolytes had to create enough portals to send a small army through. She had handed off all the orders she could think of and now she just had to keep the chaos down to a minimum.

She stood outside the Geffen church, overseeing the bustling priests. Night would fall before long. "Excuse me, Mariah?" a male voice interrupted her thoughts. She looked up to see a high wizard standing before her. She recognized him as the guild leader of Skyhaven, Vance was his name she believed.

"What can I help you with?" she asked.

"I'm looking for someone, one of my wizards actually. I heard he was injured from Christopher." His hazel eyes were filled with worry. "His name is Kaeru. You might know him."

"Yes, I remember him but I haven't seen or heard anything about him. I'm sorry." Just then, a blond priestess came walking up, bowing her head momentarily to the two transcendents. "What is it Karina?"

"I overheard you two and I know where Kaeru is. A sniper and an assassin brought him in to the room Adrian, Ryan and I were staying at in the middle of the night. Adrian is still at the inn with Kaeru but Ryan and I came when we were summoned," the priestess informed them. There was a look of relief in the high wizard's face.

"Thanks for the information. Is he okay?"

"I think so. He got pretty roughed up but he just needs to rest. Don't worry though, Adrian is watching over him." Karina told Vance which inn Kaeru was at and with another word of gratitude, he hurried on his way. Vance noted that there was an air of tension everywhere but it was to be expected.

An eavesdropping mage walked away from the bustling crowd of priests filled with worry. She had over heard Vance and Christopher talking about Kaeru and that he had been badly wounded. She wasn't actually supposed to be in Geffen so she couldn't exactly ask someone where Kaeru was. Instead she had followed Vance around until now. It sounded like her friend would be all right for the time being, much to her relief.

A few minutes later, Vance found the inn and proceeded to find the correct room. He knocked on the door and waited until a tired looking priest opened the door. "Come on in," the priest said with a yawn. As he followed the priest into the room, he saw Kaeru lying on the bed, a little pale but alive. "You sure have a lot of visitors."

"Yeah…he's better than the last one though." Kaeru sighed.

Vance walked over to the bed, happy to see the younger wizard alive. "Tough night, huh?"

"You have no idea," Kaeru groaned. He would tell Vance all the horrible details another time but he was not in the mood as of now. "I think I'll be fine by tomorrow." Adrian gave him a skeptical look. With the amount of lost blood, he was quite sure that the eager wizard would need at _least_ another day to recuperate.

"You'll be resting until _I_ think you're well enough," Vance said sternly. Mira would likely kill him if he did not let Kaeru rest as much as he needed. He had no doubt that his guild mate would be fine but he would not take a chance. "I ought to let you know, though, that most of the wizards from Skyhaven are coming to Geffen tonight. Corinne is staying there with the mages and a group of wizards to defend the guildhall if necessary. I have to go now, but please rest."

"Be careful," Adrian said. He knew what was to come later that night and all they could do was pray for the safety and victory of Geffen. "We'll be praying for you and everyone else." Vance smiled and left the two younger men, a heavy feeling within him.

As night fell over Midgard, bright bluish white warp portals began to open all around Geffen. One after another, people stepped through and were teleported to the same location just a few miles away from the capital city. Christopher Aventis stood waiting, watching the soldiers arrive via warp portal with the encampment. Some people were angry with him for speeding up the schedule that had been laid out but he felt that attacking earlier might give them an advantage, even if it was only temporary.

Mariah, for one, had an outburst when he first announced his plan. When he thought back, he did not realize that he would become the so-called leader. In accepting this role, he had not thought about all the decisions he would have to make. Especially decisions concerning peoples lives. Under the clouded night sky, he watched their numbers grow but knew that Prontera's numbers were at least double theirs.

As the lines formed, the sturdy knights, crusaders and paladins headed the front along with a few battle priests here and there. Angela had chosen to go on foot instead of riding her grand peco Sunny. She could not bear the thought of anyone hurting her peco. She shifted her weight from foot to foot nervously as she glanced at the soldiers around her. She probably was not the only nervous one.

"Sorry, excuse me…move damn it!" She heard a familiar voice say as he pushed through the lines. A moment later, he appeared at her side, glaring at the soldiers that were less inclined to moving out of the way for him. Instead of the usual bible Luzien kept with him, he carried a new mace. He had not used one since he was a young priest.

"Don't make me have to save you again," Angela grinned.

"This time around I think I'll be doing the saving. There's not a lot of battle priests around I noticed." He replied, glancing around. There were two within his sight. A priest and priestess were off to his right, also carrying maces. He caught their eye and sent a weak smile as he felt Angela nudge him forward. The lines had begun to move.

-------------------

Athanas stood on top of the wall surrounding Prontera, watching the small army marching toward the city. Reeve, on the other hand, was far to busy plotting within the castle walls to pay much attention to anything else. This would indeed be a surprise attack. The next things he saw was a small group of wizards rush forward and assault the gate with various spells. The heavy gate buckled and fell in no time at all.

The sturdy front lines surged past the gate and into the city. By now, the Pronterans should have been aware of their presence. Just as he thought, Prontera had a quick reaction. He saw various men and women rushing toward the gates, only to be outnumbered and slaughtered. How unfortunate.

Mariah separated herself from the masses of Geffen soldiers and ran as fast as her legs could carry her to the place she needed desperately to find. Her steps echoed in the silent streets but they would not be silent for much longer. As she reached the halfway point, she came to a halt and breathed heavily, leaving against the cool brick wall of a building. It turned out to be a rather unfavorable choice.

"Sorry about this miss." A man said behind her. She whirled around to see an assassin brandishing a dagger, ready to strike her. She froze, her mind going blank. Stupid, stupid, do something! Her mind shouted but her body remained frozen.

"Ah, ah. There will be none of that." Another voice chimed in. The assassin turned and drove his dagger into the third person. "Oh, you will have to better than that."

"Nicholas…" Mariah whispered as she watched him grab the assassin's wrist and in a swift movement, she heard a loud snap. At once, the undead priest yanked his mace from his belt and swung it forcefully into the assassin's chest. The man crumpled to the ground with a moan.

"Why in God's name would you run off alone? Not only that, you were going to let him kill you!" He scolded, placing the mace back on his belt.

"W-what? No, I wasn't…I just…I need to go the church. Not all of the priests and acolytes left for Geffen when I did and I'm worried."

"Come along then," Nicholas said as he tugged her along through the dimly lit streets. Soon after, the grand Prontera church came into view. In the dark of night, the holy building bore a frightening resemblance to Glast Heim's church. He hoped, for Mariah's sake, that it did not meet the same demise. At least in her lifetime. Much to their relief, they encountered no people along the way. As the two reached the heavy oak doors of the church, Nicholas paused and stared at the doors before them. She tilted her head a bit, his actions a bit odd.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"I am wondering if I will burst into flames if I go in," he replied thoughtfully. The high priestess just shook her head and threw the doors open and disappeared down the hallway. "Mariah! Wait!" Nicholas yelled after her. Even being in the church, they had no idea just whom awaited them inside but she paid no mind obviously, not thinking about her safety.

With a moment of hesitation, the undead priest put one of his feet inside the doorway. Nothing. He stepped fully through the door and looked himself over. "I suppose I was being silly," He said to himself when he saw no apparent flames.

The hallway was dark and soundless. This fact itself was strange because in every church he had ever been in, they were always lit. Not one had ever been dark or locked. Therefore, he knew right away that his descendant has run into a very unsavory situation. He walked cautiously but confidently until he reached the main room. It was candle lit; long shadows and soft glows covered the room.

He saw two young acolytes praying before the altar. He stepped forward again and grimaced when he saw Mariah. Mariah _and_ Julia. No, no…that could not be right. The two women were so much alike in look that it brought fresh pain to the surface. Julia stood close behind Mariah, one arm around her waist and the other holding a knife to her throat. "Reeve." The Julia look alike snickered and pressed the knife closer to Mariah's throat. "Must you play these games?"

"What games, dear Nicholas?" The doppelganger spoke in Julia's voice. Her clear soft voice. Nicholas glanced around the chapel and noticed a few fretful glances from various priests and acolytes sitting in the pews.

"Have you nothing better to do than torment servants of God?"

"Well, I certainly can't let them do as they please. My soldiers are not to have their aid."

"I hope you realize that—"

"I did not realize that you failed to kill your son." Reeve sneered, an ugly expression for the kind face of Julia. He had been quite sure that he had made the priest murder both wife _and_ child. Unfortunately, in his arms was the priest's living, breathing progeny. Well, he supposed not _everything_ could go as planned.

"Let her go," Nicholas demanded. He would never forgive himself if he let Mariah die. Despite being thirty-one years old, she looked very much like a frightened little girl. Suddenly Reeve dropped the knife and pushed Mariah away from him with a very confused expression on his face. He stood there, unmoving as a few priests managed to look up from their prayer. The high priestess ran back to Nicholas's side and watched the scene before her.

Nicholas sighed as he realized what was going on. He could not believe that idiot of a scholar. "Vangelis, what are you doing?" Reeve's appearance began to change then into that of the scholar. The possessed doppelganger had seemingly lost all control. The form of Vangelis stood grinning. "I am having trouble deciding whether death has addled your brains or if you were this dumb to begin with."

"So mean…" the scholar pouted. He held out his arms, surveying the long sleeves of his uniform and struck a pose. "I miss having a real body."

"This is no time to play around, Vangelis. Do something useful with that body instead of just standing there."

"You know, he really is not as strong as he claims to be. It was rather easy to possess him. I wonder why?" Vangelis wondered aloud. He observed the room, taking note of the tension still hanging over the priests and acolytes. He had possessed Reeve's body but he had no idea what to do with it. He then noticed two priestess' smiling coyly in his direction. He instinctively brought his hands to his long dark hair, smoothing it out. His cheeks were tinged with red as he smiled nervously.

"Vangelis! Stop that!" the irritated dead priest growled.

Vangelis abruptly felt a push, not quite physical, but he knew that Reeve was trying to push him out. "Oh no."

"Oh no what?"

"He's trying to get ou—" Vangelis was interrupted as he was literally thrown from Reeves body. The scholar steadied himself and turned to look at Reeve in disappointment. In that moment, he felt a power touch his mind but nothing more.

He thought nothing of it until he saw every one of the people in the chapel slump in their seats. Behind him, both Mariah and Nicholas had crumpled to the floor and then Reeve was gone. He walked over to the two and knelt down. They were alive but unconscious, as was the rest of the chapel. A few moments later, a dark shadow loomed over the trio. Vangelis was all too familiar with the owner of the shadow. "Do you need something?" he asked, not looking up.

"No…yes. Is…Azrielle here?"

"Not yet."

"So she will be?"

"Of course she will." The scholar stood and faced the Dark Lord. "I think it is safe to say that you will not survive this one. I hate to know that this will end terribly for all of us." Athanas regarded him with a distant look of hurt but he knew that the scholar spoke the truth. "I also hope that I get to see you die."

Part of Vangelis could not believe he had said that to Athanas but another part of him, the resentful part, was pleased. He had always been torn since the day Glast Heim died. In his heart, Athanas would always be a brother to him but he was still angry for all the pain he had caused over the years.

"Very harsh, Vangelis." Dark Lord said softly.

"I apologize."

"No need. You say only what is true. Let me take these two back to the camp and you help Azrielle, please." Vangelis nodded but something occurred to him. The infamous Dark Lord _wanted_ to die. He was too afraid to kill himself for the good of the rest of Midgard. No doubt if he tried, Reeve would be sure to stop him. He watched Athanas pick up the two priests and sling them over each of his shoulders. With one last glance, he turned and disappeared down the darkened hall. He easily went through the city and out the unguarded gate.

It was not long before he reached the Geffenian encampment. He strode indiscreetly into the camp, though there were not many people outside. There was a large fire near the center and this was where he headed.

As he approached, the flickering firelight revealed a sleepy priest watching the blaze. He looked up as a large shadow fell over him. He instantly froze in fear. Though he was without his usual mask, the armor was all too familiar. He also saw the motionless bodies of a priest and high priestess slung over the monster's shoulders. Athanas knelt down and laid Nicholas and the priestess in front of the terrified priest.

"A-Are they dead…?" he whispered as he crawled forward. "Mariah!"

"They live," Athanas said quietly. The priest was relieved after feeling for Mariah's vitals that she was indeed alive, just unconscious. He turned to Nicholas and put his fingers to his neck to feel for a pulse. He immediately retracted his hand a moment later. The unconscious priest was ice cold! "He is undead." The priest touched a shaking hand to Nicholas's neck and found a pulse far too slow to sustain and living person. Suddenly, Nicholas awoke with a start and grabbed the front of the priests robe, glaring daggers into him. The poor boy promptly fainted.

"What the hell?" Nicholas murmured. He saw Mariah beside him and thought he had sensed Athanas as well but the lord knight was nowhere to be seen.

--------------------

Azrielle, in the meantime, had returned to Glast Heim and made her way to the castle. Instead of the church being her home, she had elected to stay with Vangelis in the castle. Most nights, she slept sporadically, her dreams waking her often. Many nights the dreams were strange but not bad. Some, unfortunately, were nightmares that had her waking up screaming in panic. Thankfully, Vangelis was always there to comfort her. She was not entirely sure what to make of her dreams though. One thing the nightmares had in common with the normal dreams was that Athanas was always in them. This night was no different.

_The rain fell hard from the dismal gray sky as dusk approached. Puddles had formed in the dips along the street and children often came out to play on rainy days, splashing and giggling merrily. As dusk approached, the streets emptied and remained quiet throughout the night. Azrielle stood under the awning of a closed store, watching the raindrops splash into the puddles. The humid air smelled fresh as she took in deep breaths._

_She felt warm despite the cooling air of night and realized that she did not feel dead. She felt…alive. As she surveyed the stone buildings around her, she realized that she was not in Juno, but Glast Heim. The _living_ Glast Heim. She was alone outside but she could sense the lives of people in their homes. With a small smile, she took a few steps forward into the rain. The raindrops fell against her face, their coolness pleasant feeling. Her violet priestess uniform became speckled as she stood._

"_Azrielle?" She heard her name being called softly. She looked to her left down the street and saw the common object of her dreams. Athanas looked the same as he ever did, minus his armor. He seemed apprehensive as he walked toward her, his pace slow but steady. She waited until he was stopped about two feet from her. His raven black hair was hanging around his face, the ends dripping over his shoulders. _

_He looked sad but at the same time, there was something in his eyes that she had only caught glimpses of before. "This is…this is desperation I think," he said slowly, still unsure of himself. Azrielle could not conjure up a single word to reply. Was this truly a dream? It felt like so much more than that. There was silence then, a long very drawn out silence in which neither could seemingly find no words to speak._

"_Why desperation?" she asked finally. He sighed, searching for the right words. He knew he would never have another chance to say them again._

"_I cannot allow you to have any kind feelings toward a monster. I wanted you to see me for who I was all those years ago. Long before I damned myself…" She thought on his words for a moment._

"_Just who were you then?" With a nod, closed the distance between then, wrapping his arms around her. She looked up at him, waiting for his explanation. She did return the embrace but he kept her within his arms. She was gorgeous in his eyes, of course, but it was more than that. __He never did figure out why he fell for her the way he did. When he first saw her, he was completely enthralled in the way she handled herself and the spirit she exuded in her training at Glast Heim. _

_The more he watched her, the harder he fell. __The feeling she created in him was a hundred times that of the feeling Lila had created. He loved the wretched huntress until the end but he did not realize until recently that it was his stubborn priestess that he loved more._

"_Nothing can repair what I have done or what I will do very soon but that is not who I am. You have created such instability within me that I am more lost than I have ever been." He brought his hands up to cradle her face, as he looked at her. He knew that she too was confused by her own feelings. He would end all confusion and doubt this very moment. He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. _

_She hesitated only a moment before she responded. As she did, she saw exactly what he had meant. He gave her access to his memories and every part of him. She saw everything from the moment he gained awareness to the most recent. Everything from his happy times to his darkest times was revealed. His thoughts and feelings with his memories…she saw who he once was. She had seen bits and pieces of his old self since she had known him but even though she expected this, she did not expect to feel the way she did. _

_She was lonely, she would admit that, but this was so much more. It made her realize all the things she missed in her rather short life. The mistakes she made along the way worsed the feeling. Had he been a living person in her own time, she might have married him in an instant. Well, she would have rather married _him_ instead of the man she did marry. _

"_You would, would you?" he said, breaking their kiss. She looked mildly surprised. I saw everything there was to know of you, as you saw with me." _

"_Remember when you tricked me at the park?" she asked. He nodded as he recalled his disappointment in not finishing that night the way he wanted. It had not been a very good idea on his part but Azrielle often caused him to do strange things. "I knew it was you but since I wasn't thinking clearly and it took me a few minutes to realize just what was happening." With a faint smile, he kissed her again and this time, he was hungry for her. She opened her mouth, as needing as he was._

_He had craved her touch for so long but he, of course being an idiot made things worse and she avoided him until now. He lowered his hands to her thighs, silently thanking whomever it was that decided to make the long slits in the priestess uniforms, and lifted her up. Her legs wrapped around him as he guided them under a shop awning and pressed her against the cool stone wall. It was only too bad it was all in their dreams. Athanas managed to tear his lips away from her, her moans of protest nearly made him rethink his move. Much to his regret, they had no time for this._

"_I love you."_

Azrielle bolted upright from her bed, and looked around the dark room. The only change was that Vangelis was sitting at the end of the bed with his legs crossed and an amused expression on his face. "I'm _very_ curious as to what had you moaning like that in your sleep," he said with a knowing grin. Very curious and dare he say, rather jealous. He was quite sure that it was Athanas in her dreams. Her eyes widened and she blushed that she had been so noisy but that dream…it felt rather real. "Just so you are aware, while you were dreaming of such…_pleasurable_ things, Geffenian forces were pulled out of Prontera," he chuckled. If at all possible, she blushed even more. He did enjoy teasing her.

"Help me get Nifflheim and Glast Heim together, will you?"

"Anything for you, my dear. We have much work to do. Geffen's forces will not win if the numbers are as bad as I have seen."

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**A/N**: I just had to put in a cliché rain scene because I like them :3 I think there's just something about those that are all romancey and stuff. Hopefully it wasn't TOO corny. Hahaha longest chapter yet! 7k+! 


	13. Embracing Fate

**7.13.07**…This is…interesting…I guess…

Chapter 13

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**Embracing Fate**

The world was so dark and so dreary and it made her sad. She was always sad it seemed. People got the impression that she was a happy and optimistic woman most of the time but inside, it was the opposite. It didn't seem so bad when she was alive and with her family and friends. Now, she felt alone and empty. Always sad. She did not even know whether her efforts could help save Midgard.

She almost wanted to stay here in the gloomy halls of Glast Heim's castle just to brood. Being dead made her think about her life. She had a good life, that was no lie, but a part of her always felt disconnected…out of place. Her mother and father doted on her, loved her dearly. Her friends, especially Mira and Kaeru, were wonderful. Still, she felt different and it made her think sometimes.

Her parents always encouraged her to be something great as long as it made her happy. This is why she chose to follow the path to priesthood. She enjoyed helping people and it made her feel useful. The day she met Kaeru was the day she realized that there were people much worse off than she was. She regretted having spent so much of her life being unhappy when she had no reason to be anything but.

She had been twelve at the time and excelled in her acolyte training. The young swordsman had made his way over to her group and asked about their studies. He seemed very intrigued so she pulled him into the group. They became fast friends and he told her of his plight with his family. She merely hugged him and said that she would be his family no matter what. They were inseparable.

When she was eighteen, Kaeru suffered a horrible blow from his family when they said he was unwelcome in their home. He did not cry; he just shut the world out for a few days. She managed to coax him out of his depression finally with the right words. She knew she had no right to feel sorrowful about her herself. Kaeru was unwanted by his own family. Her pain was nothing compared to his. She cared for him and loved him like a little brother. He needed her and she could think of nothing else to do for him other than be his family. Slowly, he became happy again.

After becoming priests, the two of them received a rather odd invitation. Kaeru was surprised most of all. His oldest brother (though she didn't know this fact until more recently) had sent them _both_ invitations to join his guild. The two of them hesitantly accepted but realized that other than Alexander's terrible attitude, it was a great choice for them. There they met Mira who instantly attached herself to the two of them. They were welcomed into the guild with open arms but still, Azrielle felt like she was out of place. Nonetheless, she put on a smile and went about her life.

Then, she met _him_. He was wonderful and everything she thought she needed. He made her happy. He promised her the world and showered her with such loving gestures. Kaeru disapproved of him but told her only once. Mira agreed with him. He elected to keep his mouth shut after he had upset her. He really just wanted her to be happy. He knew that she was not always as cheerful as she let on. Maybe this was what she needed, they both thought. Azrielle fell hopelessly for him and when _he_ proposed, she gladly accepted.

Her wedding was perfect, the stuff of dreams. Only, after the wedding and the honeymoon to Jawaii, things began to change. She expected a few things to be different but not like _this_. He completely changed. He was selfish, demanding and worst of all; everything he had ever told her was a lie. He did not love her.

This was a new pain. A terrible pain. She traveled to Nifflheim with a scarred heart and gladly paid the outrageous fee for her divorce. In such a state of anger and hurt, she caused trouble, unnecessary perhaps, in the process. Lucky for the deviruchi, Mira and Kaeru had gone with her and prevented her from doing _too_ much damage. In time, the ache faded but she was still sad. Then, things began to change yet again. She almost died and it was the fault of Dark Lord and her lack of common sense. What she never told anyone was that she knew exactly what she was doing. Part of her hoped that she would die. She was a coward trying to take an easy way out. She had no idea that the encounter was the beginning of a whole new ordeal.

Subsequently, her death _did_ come after a string of confusing events. She did learn that death was not what she wanted after all. Here was this monster, vying for her affection and her heart, and she had no idea why. Later she learned that his feelings were not as sudden as she first thought. She also learned that he was a more tortured soul than she thought. In fact, Vangelis and Nicholas were tormented as well. Again, people that were worse off than she was. For a while, she avoided Dark Lord and spent most of her time with the ghostly scholar. He was sweet and considerate unlike Dark Lord Athanas. He too masked his sorrows like her.

Now, the scholar watched her as she sat in silence. Vangelis was patient and Vangelis _also_ harbored feelings for her. Yes, she did realize this but knew nothing would come of it. Perhaps if she had met him in life, they could have shared something but no, her dead heart belonged to Athanas. It seemed unhealthy at times. She saw who he once was and _that_ was the man she cared for. Unfortunately, he was that man no more. Pity she had to kill him.

"Azrielle…" she heard the scholar say softly. "It is time that we should go." Yes, time to face the things she hid from. She could not be a coward anymore. Her own end was approaching fast and she could never die knowing that she did not face her fears. She looked up at Vangelis, curious as to what he was thinking to have such a pained expression on his ghostly face.

"Van—" He interrupted her by pulling her up and into his arms. His apparition had changed into something more solid. She stared up at the tall scholar curiously. He just held her tightly, fearing having to let her go.

"I know I never had a chance with you but it doesn't change that I care for you. He—he doesn't deserve you." His lips descended on her own, both needful and hesitant. She allowed him this, returning his kiss as hungrily as he hoped. A faint smile began forming at the corners of her mouth.

If he were truly a traitor to his former friend, he would have gladly taken more than this from her. No, as much disdain he held for Athanas, he could never take more than this kiss. Oh, but he _burned_ for her. He cursed his ghostly form, he cursed Athanas, and he cursed the god who decided to make Azrielle the way she was. His hands cradled her face gently as he slowly tore himself away. She was kind to give him this gift.

"I'm surprised you never got a wife with a kiss like _that_," she sighed, leaning against him. He had stolen the very breath from her. It would be a lie if she said she did not enjoy the kiss. He was surprisingly skilled in such. It made her wonder if he was as skilled in other related areas. "I'm sorry things are the way they are."

He savored the taste of her lingering on his lips as he turned away. "We should go…" How he longed for her. The closer the end came, the more he wanted—no, needed her.

"We should. Midgard needs us." She dared not acknowledge the thoughts currently running in her mind.

-----------------

"Mariah, dear, why do I get the feeling that this is going to go very badly for us?" Nicholas asked. There was no sign of Azrielle and in one hour, Christopher would command Geffen's forces against Prontera for one last stand. All that were coming to fight had arrived and the hour was fast approaching. The high priestess looked up from her list of orders, feeling helpless. She wished she could do more but there was nothing left to do but wait. "Probably because it will," he answered himself.

"The sun is setting," she pointed out simply because the attack would come at night. "I wish my parents were alive…" she spoke again, this time softer and more unsure. She wanted their comfort as she looked her imminent death in face. Unfortunately, they had died long ago so they could provide her with nothing. Nicholas hugged her gently, unable to think of anything else to reassure his relative.

"Fear not. You'll live through this. I will make sure of that. I have no idea how many 'greats' go into my title as your distant grandfather, but I love you. You are the closest thing I have to my son and you are my family. _Nothing_ will hurt you." Nicholas hated the fact that after this battle, it would be his time. He would have to leave Mariah alone.

"Thank you," she whispered into his faded black priests robe. He gave her a glimmer of hope that she _would_ live. She could be strong for her home and her people, could she not? She had to be strong because many looked to her for strength in dire times. Such was the responsibility of a priest.

-----------------

"Are you sure? I—"

"Look, Vance, I can't sit around and rest while everyone else is fighting," Kaeru sighed. Vance was only looking out for him, but he still had to play his part. Even one more body could make a difference in this fight. Vance handed him his cloak and noticed a shadow pacing outside of the tent. It had to be his cousin Mira. He knew she was nervous. Everyone was nervous. Kaeru fastened his cloak over his shoulders and saw the same thing as the older wizard. "Mira?" The pacing figure slowed to a halt and then walked over and peeked inside the tent flap.

"Hey…"

"It's okay you know."

"Lies are nice, aren't they?" She stepped inside and stood before the two high wizards. She was feeling very pessimistic about the night. "We're supposed to head out now." Her stomach was doing flip-flops. Kaeru moved closer to her and kissed her forehead. She had done so much for him and it was time for him to return the favor. She was as good a sister as Azi had been for him.

"It'll be okay, I promise. We'll stick together."

"When did _you_ get so brave?" She grinned half-heartedly at the notion. Maybe it was false courage but it made her feel a tiny but more at ease.

"Since I stood up to Alex." How much worse could an enemy he did not know be?

"Kaeru, I want you to know that if you don't live through this and I do, Zahra will kill me. I told her to stay at Skyhaven, but I don't think she listened. She doesn't know that I'm letting you fight and if she finds out, I'll never have a day of peace until my death. You owe me." Kaeru just laughed. Apparently neither Vance or Mira noticed the out of place shadow outside the tent.

"Let's go Mira. Catch up soon, all right Kae?" Vance said as he lifted the tent flap. The younger wizard waved at the two and sat down on his cot. There was one last thing that called for his attention. It seemed that his friend was sneaky, but not enough to escape his notice.

"Zahra, why aren't you at Skyhaven?" He heard the girl groan and shuffle inside the tent guiltily. "Why are you here? It's dangerous."

"Don't go," she pleaded as she sat on the ground in front of him. She lacked her usual bouncy demeanor. This was never a good thing. "You're not even completely better yet." He smiled at her and took her hands. She could tell that he still intended to go no matter what she said.

-----------------

It was common sight this night to see people on their knees, praying and wishing. A serious air hung about the entire encampment. Not even Luzien dared make an inappropriate comment. He and Angela knelt just outside of the encampment in quiet solitude. The normally lewd priest led his beloved paladin in prayer until he went silent. The green-eyed paladin looked up to see him staring at city. "Luz?"

"Sorry…I just don't wanna go. I know no one does, but somehow, I know you and me are gonna survive. I don't think Lord of the Dead has it in for _us_ just yet. It's everyone else I'm worried about. If something _does_ happen to us, I love you. Those kafra girls have nothing on you," he added with a sad grin. He doubted even the kafra were safe. He sure would miss them.

The paladin smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I love you too. Just save as many people as you can."

-----------------

As the sun had set, the lines were set and the march on Prontera began at last. Their pace was slow and deliberate. The moon shone bright and full until a dark mist passed over the luminous sphere. A few looked at it, confused and curious. Then, they heard it. All throughout the lines they heard the steady approach of feet. Some steps slow and dragging, others were heavy and threatening. All at once, the lines were flooded with the dead. Anxious screeches and cackles filled the formerly silent air. Undead of all sorts had appeared and walked alongside the soldiers of Geffen.

There were a few shouts and screams as people had not expected to see the undead. Slowly, people realized that for once, the undead were the allies, not the enemies. Mariah clutched Nicholas's hand nervously as a skeletal soldier fell into step beside her, chortling in amusement. Many of the undead had the same reaction. None of them minded too much. They were here not just to help the living, but for revenge. A good number of the dead were lost souls of Glast Heim. They wanted Reeve dead.

Dark Lord watched the lines grow from afar. It didn't matter how many there were, he'd kill them all. Then he saw her. Azrielle had appeared in the front ranks with Vangelis. Her expression was one of determination. He saw that their numbers had increased greatly but if he stepped in to the battle, they would still lose.

Why should he try to save himself? What was the point? There was nothing that could redeem his soul so he fell into the familiar blackness of his insanity. He welcomed it.

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**A/N**: This chapter wasn't meant to be terribly long so I hope you don't mind. It was mostly a "what they're doing before they all die" filler thing. The end is nigh!

R & R if you want.


	14. Lifting Shadows

I bring you chapter 13!

For those that have asked, I'll have something sequel-ish. I haven't thought too much about it just yet o.O Just know there's going to be something :D

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**Lifting Shadows **

"Azi…could you tell me something?" Vangelis asked as he walked alongside the priestess. They were slowly approaching the city but why rush when they had eternity? The silver haired priestess looked up at the scholar with a faint smile. "Why did you let me kiss you?" He had no complaints but the way she kissed him in return was…a little more than a polite peck.

She looked across the field for a moment, thinking of what to tell him. Should she tell him the truth, or what he would like to hear? Did she even know? Things had been so subtle between her and the scholar that she never noticed until late. "Love can be found in the most unexpected places," she said softly, she knew he would want to hear that. "I've fallen in love three times in my life and fell out of it twice. I wonder if the remaining love is going to last?"

He believed that her only love now was Athanas. It could only be him. He felt a little hurt but at the same time, he debated whether he should feel that way or not. Then, he felt her take his hand. "I will be here at your side until the end, Azi."

"_Athanas_." He heard the voice of Lila but he knew it was a lie. This voice was just one of the doppelgangers tricks. Although, if he knew it was a trick, then why did he let himself believe it? He believed the words of her sweet voice. Why? He wanted to. He had nothing else to believe. "_Athanas, they hurt you_."

Yes, they did hurt him. Azrielle and his friends were gone. He would play this final part of the game and then he would rest. The Dark Lord watched the soldiers of both living and dead, more specifically, Azrielle and Vangelis, get closer and closer to Prontera. He also saw her clasp hands with his former friend. The traitors…

"What did I tell you, Athanas? She couldn't love a monster like you," the voice of Reeve spoke. Athanas looked to see the doppelganger standing off to his left. Perhaps he was right.

"You could at least stop toying with me, doppelganger," the Dark Lord growled.

"How do you mean?"

"Her."

Reeve smiled faintly and nodded. "My dear weapon, that _is_ her. She is quite the vengeful thing. Apparently she did not like me bringing her soul back."

"Athanas, if I suffer…then you suffer," she said. Her voice was filled with a bitter tone though she remained invisible to the eye. "Let the battle begin." Her words stirred the angry, loathing spirit within him. She noted this and smiled as he moved from his perch atop the Prontera wall. "Good-bye, Athanas and hello Dark Lord." Then, he was upon them. His sword tore clean through his first victim who never had a chance. One after another, he received terrified looks and screams and then silence.

"Azi! He's shown himself!" Vangelis shouted above the sudden clanging of weapons. The Pronteran forces had surged out of the city and clashed with Geffen's own. Azrielle saw _him_ slicing through both Geffen and Prontera. She froze, mesmerized in a terrible way. Athanas cared not about what anyone thought.

He grabbed the next nearest warm body, a priest, and glared at him. She heard the priest cry out in absolute terror. He then brought his sword up and plunged it into the priest's midsection. Suddenly he went still and he found his gaze locked with Azrielle's.

She saw nothing more than the cold, heartless beast that was Dark Lord. His face showed nothing but a wicked sneer and piercing blood red eyes. Athanas was gone from this…monster. He then pulled a familiar mask from underneath his cloak and placed it on his face. The priestess felt Vangelis draw her closer protectively.

"He is far from weak, Azi. Killing him will be difficult and if you hesitate, he's likely to tear you limb from limb. Let _me_ start." She had never seen Vangelis so angry. The glint in his eyes were filled with utter hatred. He stepped in front of Azrielle as Dark Lord took slow steps toward them.

Vangelis was the first to make a move. He silently cast mind breaker on the lord knight. He must not have expected the scholar to attack because he suddenly staggered as the spell hit him like a wall. He clutched at his head for a moment before disappearing back into the city. "Van…" Without another word, he grabbed her hand and followed Dark Lord into Prontera.

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Kaeru panted as he ran, he was still not fully recovered from his fight with Alexander. He and Vance were heading into the city to meet with the scholar, Christopher. "Stop there, Kaeru Tierce." The voice came from a person he did not want to see on this day. The lady knight held her sword out in a threatening manner. It was his mother, Noriko, and it appeared that she had every intention to fight him. "My family's honor is at stake and unfortunately, I have to kill you for what you've done."

"Noriko…why?" How could he kill his own mother? He despised her but still, she was the one who gave him life. He could never take hers away.

"We have no choice. Get ready!" she called as she charged him. The high wizard summoned an ice wall in front of him to block her path. Think, Kaeru, think! His mind raced to figure out what options he had left. Killing her was out of the question. He could certainly maim her but then she could not defend herself against any other enemy. He could see her shadow racing around the wall now so he formed a sphere of electricity for jupitel thunder. At the very least, it would fling her back so they could keep the distance.

The battle around them was fierce and terrifying but they paid no mind to the screams and cackles of the living and the dead. As the lady knight rounded the glistening ice wall, she was hit squarely and pushed back with a lightening spell. Her body convulsed for a moment with the shock, bringing her to her knees. Kaeru stood back, hoping she would move on to another target.

If he let her get too close, he was finished. She was even faster than Alexander he knew. He needed to disable her and then he could at least take her away from the battle. He saw her stand finally and charge him again. She never used the same method twice in a row so he read her carefully.

Slow her down! Kaeru focused for a moment and beckoned the moisture from the area to concentrate in the ground around him. Quagmire would slow her for now. Her feet suddenly sank ankle deep into muddy grass. She cursed under her breath with annoyance. "Kaeru! This is a coward's move!" Perhaps it was, but he did not want to fight his mother. He refused. She trudged as fast as her legs would allow her toward her target.

"Kaeru! Let us take care of her!" He heard Mira shout. He nodded weakly and cast a barrier of ice around Noriko to give Mira a better target. The blond wizard dropped to the ground, her hands summoning earth spikes under the lady knight. The best way to disable a quick knight is to take away their speed. They can't run if their legs are useless.

The jagged spikes of earth plunged into the lady knights legs, snapping bone and ripping flesh. The blood-curdling scream from Noriko nearly brought Kaeru to his knees but he stood firm. The high wizard moved to Mira's side and nearly lost what little he had eaten earlier that night.

Noriko lay on her side, her face expressionless. He had expected to see tears or a look of agony. "You win," she said in an even voice, looking away from the two wizards. "I am nothing without legs to carry me. I can't fight by sitting on the ground, waving my sword uselessly."

"I didn't want to fight you…" Kaeru replied honestly.

"There is no honor in running or _breaking strict family traditions_." Her words cut him deeply. He thought that just maybe, from the unexpected visit recently, she would have changed. Sadly, she was still the same strict, traditional woman. "Finish the deed, Kaeru." She added in a bitter voice.

"Finish…what? You can't mean—"

"Do it!" She threw her sword forcefully at the horrified wizard. Mira stood up and took a few steps back. This was not her place to intrude. She was worried for Kaeru though. First his brother and now his mother. He had done nothing to deserve any of this.

Kaeru's shaky hand grasped the sword, a frighteningly sharp katana, and stared at it. He saw Noriko getting impatient but he found himself unable to do as she asked. She rolled onto her back and caught a glimpse of the moon behind the clouds. It was pretty…

The last thing she saw was the movement of the clouds, covering the moon once again before a single earth spike broke through her back and chest. The bloodied spike jutted through her armored chest angrily. She never realized what had happened and this was the best way he could think of to satisfy her request. There had been no words of sorrow or love or apology and this was what hurt him most.

"Kaeru? Come, Vance is waiting," Mira said softly. The best thing she could do was get him away from his mother.

-----------------

As the duo ran through the gate, their target was easy to follow. All they had to do was follow the trail of newly massacred bodies. It was as if a wild animal had come through and ripped the soldiers to pieces. Trails of spattered blood colored the gray streets. They followed the path until they came upon Dark Lord. He was standing, looking blankly toward the sky.

"Athanas…" she whispered. The night felt cold and eerie as she stared at the infamous Dark Lord. What he had done this night was unforgivable. He slowly reached up and pulled his mask away from his face, giving her a glimpse of the pain stricken expression he wore. She wanted badly to say she was wrong in thinking he was evil but it was as if there was nothing good in him anymore. He did not care about anything. He tossed the mask to the ground and unsheathed his sword. Could she fight him?

"Kill me," he said, or rather ordered. She took a step back as he held out his sword. It was the very same sword that he had killed her with. "Azrielle, kill me," he repeated. She was lost for words. There was supposed to be a fight, was there not? She knew she needed to do this though. She _did_ have to kill him if anything was to be resolved.

"Athanas!" she cried out finally. "Why? Why does it have to be me?" She did not want this; she _could not_ do this.

"Azi." She heard Vangelis say her name softly from behind her. "End his suffering. Make him face his judgment in the eyes of God." She looked back at the scholar, seeing the sadness in his eyes. The scholar placed his hands on her shoulders. "It is time our time…yours as well. End his anguish; end it _please_."

Athanas watched, a variety of feelings running through his mind. Sadness, anger, jealousy, hurt…betrayal. He knew Vangelis loved her and the two shared something. His "friend" was a backstabber it seemed.

"I—I can't."

"You _can_," Athanas said. "Take the sword and kill me!" She turned back to the Lord knight who now stood right in front of her. "If you ever loved me or cared for me in any way, please end this!" he pleaded, taking her hands and wrapping her fingers around the hilt of the sword. He was too much of a coward to do the deed himself. Azrielle stared at the heavy sword in her hands and lifted it shakily, and slowly.

Vangelis looked away from Athanas's scrutinizing stare in his direction. He suspected, or knew that there was something between Vangelis and Azrielle. Suddenly the priestess let out a strangled cry and Athanas felt a sharp pain in his chest.

"I d-didn't…didn't want this…" she trailed off, pushing the blade deeper and deeper into his chest. He pulled her, and incidentally the blade, closer to him. He would be forever grateful for this. "I wanted to help you, not kill you, Athanas," she sobbed. Sadly, there was no other way. If he lived, the doppelganger would continue to control him like a puppet. He had no will to fight back. It had been stripped from him long ago.

"Azrielle," he sighed, hugging her closer. "You _are_ helping me." She could feel him sinking lower to the ground as his life fled him. She eased him to the stone street, pulled the sword from his chest, and flung the weapon away. It clattered on the street near the watchful Vangelis.

Slowly, Athanas closed his eyes and let the darkness take him. Azrielle felt him go completely still and knew that this was indeed the end of the great lord knight Athanas and the wicked Dark Lord. She laid her head on his chest and closed her eyes. What was left now? Tears fell from her eyes, not just for him but also for all the lives of those lost, for her own pain, for Nicholas and Vangelis. Her Vangelis…

The scholar watched her mourn and he watched a most unthinkable and unbearable thing. He watched her leave. Not physically, but spiritually. Simply put, she died of her own free will. He wished he would have said something to her but no, he did not. "Azi…I love you Azi. I wish you could have loved me back," he murmured to the silent street.

He did not notice a familiar face observing him from a distance. She felt for him, but this was fates decision and there was nothing anyone could do to change it. Still, she wished things had gone better for him in life _and_ in death. People said that life is complicated, but she was more inclined to think death was even more so.

He ached inside and felt an emptiness that he had never felt, not even on his worst days. He could not be here anymore but he had one more thing to do. He needed to find Nicholas. His priest friend and surrogate brother was his last link to this world. He drifted away from this scene of terrible sadness, knowing that he probably needed to go to the church. He was almost positive that this was where Nicholas would be.

It seemed to take forever to reach his destination but he needed to look no further. He saw Nicholas slumped against the church doors with an unconscious but living high priestess nestled against him. Nicholas, too, was gone. He did not get to say his good-byes to his friend. "My dear Vangelis," she spoke gently. He turned to see a face he had not seen in a few hundred years.

"Julia. I thought you—"

"I did pass on but I'm only here to guide you and the others." She smiled. He had always loved Julia dearly; she was good friend to him and a good wife to Nicholas. It was a shame that he murdered her. Everything had gone so awry back then and nothing was ever the same.

"Nicholas didn't mean to kill you. Well, he wasn't in the right mind," he said in his friend's defense. She laughed quietly and nodded.

"I know. I never held him at fault because he saved our son. I would have gladly sacrificed myself for Tarek but worry not, everyone gets a second chance."

"What? I don't understand."

"You'll see, Vangelis, you'll see. Right now, if you could help those fighting Reeve, you would be an immense help." He nodded and disappeared for one last battle.

She moved over to her late husband and her granddaughter of many greats. She forgave Nicholas long ago but he never forgave himself and he never would. She kneeled in front of the pair and stroked Mariah's hair. Poor thing was exhausted. She was pleased to realize how much the high priestess resembled her. "You did well, Nicholas," she said kissing his forehead. "Things are changing and fate has a gift for you and I." Yes, she knew a few things that no one else did about their future.

-----------------

Vangelis appeared in the castle where Reeve would undoubtedly be. As expected, he saw a few people of the magic class and was very pleased. A scholar and two high wizards to be precise. They were speaking hurriedly amongst themselves so the ghostly scholar drifted behind them and spoke up. "Excuse me, do you know where the bastard is hiding?" The three men whirled around to see Vangelis waiting for a reply. Christopher Aventis and Vance looked a bit shocked but Kaeru did not. "I'm here to help out," he added.

"Have you seen Azi?" Kaeru asked worriedly.

"She's…she's…" He could not bring himself to say the words but Kaeru seemed to understand. He did not have the time to mourn her just yet. "I have some unresolved issues with Reeve so I will assist you."

"Reeve?" Christopher chimed in.

"The doppelganger; Reeve is his real name. He was once an alchemist in Glast Heim before it fell. He had strange power indeed, but he is not invincible. I have a way to kill him. I'll tell you on the way."

"What are we waiting for then? Let's go," Vance ordered.

They took off toward the great hall of the castle and in minutes found that their assumption was correct. The doppelganger was waiting for them. He sat leisurely in a chair, apparently expecting them. "Welcome to my castle," he said simply. His face was that of his former self instead of a disguise. "Vangelis, was it? You were always so troublesome. Pity I could not control you as I did Athanas and Nicholas. Did I ever tell you that your priest friend was merely an object to test my abilities? Athanas, on the other hand, is a brilliant weapon."

"Athanas is dead," Vangelis replied darkly. Reeve looked slightly surprised and disappointed.

"Hmm. I suppose I'll have to change my plans then. First, I need to kill you four nuisances."

---------------

She had nearly died numerous times but Luzien was always there to pick her right back up. When she stumbled and received a wound, he pulled her up, healed her and sent her off. The clanging of steel rang through the air of the night. It was nearing dawn and the whole battlefield outside of the capital city sensed something greater happening within Prontera.

Her chest felt tight and her limbs were weary but she fought on. Resolution was near. With a final thrust of her sword into enemy flesh, the blazing sun broke over the horizon. Silence fell immediately as far as they could hear. It was over. Angela did not know how but it was indeed the end of a horrific final battle. She had no idea what had gone on inside the city because all four gates were shut tightly, permitting no one entry.

She leaned on the hilt of her sword, glancing at Luzien, who was a few yards away. He had plopped onto the ground and tried to catch his breath before attending the wounded. Everyone, friend and foe, has ceased fighting. All of them must have sensed something similar to what she had. She then heard a slow groan of wood and metal as the gate they were closest to opened slightly.

She watched, but no one came out. Pulling off her gauntlets, she cringed at the sight of her callused, crimson stained hands. It wasn't so much the fact that she had blood covered hands, but the fact that the blood belonged to her brothers and sisters of Midgard. They were not really the enemy yet they died anyway.

"Angela…" She heard Luzien's voice crack. She looked back to him and noticed his gaze was elsewhere. She followed it to an intimidating figure atop his skeletal horse. the Lord of the Dead had come to claim souls. She did feel fearful at the sight of him but it was not the same mind shattering fear as she had when she first saw him. She wondered if this is what she would have to do when her time came.

After a few moments, she realized that only she and Luzien could see their future Lord. She and Luzien both owed him their lives and the prospect of spending eternity with her high priest was both good and bad. Even in death, he would surely make eyes at the pretty dead girls…feh, stupid priest.

Finally, emerging from the gate was Christopher Aventis. She was glad he had survived. The scholar was a brilliant teacher and had spectacular talent with his magic. He was really an ideal person to get Midgard back on its feet. There was no doubt in her mind that the remaining survivors would agree.

She could see the pained look on his face as he gazed stonily across the field of massacred soldiers. Unlike him, she was used to it now. It was sad but there was no changing it. She then felt Luzien grasp her hand and pull her into his embrace. She inhaled and sighed deeply in relief. They would not have lived had it not been for the Lord of the Dead. "Can we go home now?" He asked.

"Not yet."

"Maaan…I guess I ought to get to work, huh?" She nodded as he pulled away and drifted to the first of his many patients lying on the battleground. Despite his fatigue, he worked on. He'd sleep for days after this. Angela found herself walking slowly to the scholar still staring out over the body-strewn field.

"Christopher?" He glanced in her direction at the sound of her voice. "What happened?" He remained silent for a few minutes until a sigh escaped him.

"It's over. I'll explain everything later…"

It was the end. It was finally the end. She sat on the ground, watching the sun raise higher, the beginning of a new day and new life.

-----------------

It felt strange. Actually, when he thought about it, he felt nothing. The situation was strange but he no longer felt anything. He was numb. "_Vangelis._" Why could he feel nothing? He needed feel something, anything! He would gladly take pain if he could feel it. "_Vangelis_?" He _should_ feel happy, should he not? Midgard had saved itself from a dreadful fate and he had helped. Dark Lord was no more and Glast Heim could finally rest…but would he? "_Vangelis_! _Come here with me_." If the voice insisted…

-----------------

Waves crashed on a sandy white beach under cerulean skies. There was no sound other than the ocean and her breathing. She sat on a boulder overlooking the ocean, simply viewing and listening to the sight before her. There was only endless water toward the horizon.

To Azrielle, it looked like the edge of the world. There was no war, no bloodshed or conflict. There was only peaceful nothingness. She knew this was only a figment of her mind's eye, a place where she could think. The only problem…there was nothing more to think about. She would miss life. She would miss it terribly but she would be happy. She was with _him_ and there were no barriers that separated them.

"It is time that we go," he said quietly. Yes, eternity awaited them with open arms and joyous peace.

So it is thought…

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**A/N**: It wasn't nearly as long as I thought it would be but I decided to change some things. Also, yes, I left out the fight with doppel for a reason. You'll see what happens in the next and final chapter.


	15. Inner Workings of Fate

It's rather Van-centric in this last bit. So yeah, hopefully this won't disappoint.

Omg.

Go read.

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**Inner Workings of Fate**

Mira knew things were over when the fighting stopped. She had never been so glad of anything in her life. She limped through the streets of Prontera toward the castle, hoping that Kaeru and Vance had made it. She couldn't bear to lose either of them. Suddenly, she stopped, staring sadly at the sight before her. It seemed strange. Azrielle...one of her best friends, was surely gone from this world for good. The silver haired priestess sat next to an equally dead Dark Lord, her arms draped over him.

She wondered if her friend had been happy at all after her death in Glast Heim. She wished she knew for sure. The wizard knelt next to Azrielle, brushing strands of silvery hair from the priestess's face. Though her skin was cold to the touch, her face looked flushed as if she had been crying. It broke her heart to see her friend in such a way. Unfortunately, she'd have to come back later to figure out what to do with Azrielle's body. She then stood and made her way toward the castle. She had seen Christopher come through the gate but not the other two.

When she did reach the castle, it took her a while to make it through the damaged halls. Chunks of walls and ceilings blocked her path numerous times and her bad leg made it difficult to get past. She peered down at her leg and sighed. She had nearly lost it during the battle but a priest had made it to her in time. The only problem was that he didn't heal it quite right due to his hurriedness. Now, she had a permanent limp that pained her a bit when she put too much weight on it. She was no worse for the wear otherwise. A few cuts and bruises were present but those she could ignore for now.

"Mira?" she heard a voice ahead of her. The hall was almost completely blocked but the muffled voice sounded like her cousin. There was one way to solve the blockage, though. A little magic would to the trick.

"Stand back for jupitel thunder!" she called in warning. She concentrated on forming the sphere of electricity between her hands. The crackling yellow-white veins lit up the rather dim hallway. She flung the sphere at the debris and brought her arms up to cover her face. The electricity effectively broke through the stone, flinging bits and pieces everywhere. As the noise died, she lowered her arms to see Vance holding a rather dazed looking Kaeru up.

Mira hurried over as fast as her bad leg would allow her. Vance gave her a questioning look but she waved him off. "Is he okay? Kae, are you okay?" she asked, lifting her friends drooping head. He smiled weakly and nodded. Of course, he did have acid burns and elemental wounds, but he used what energy he had left to get Vance somewhat healed. They would all live to see another day it seemed.

-----------------

He opened his eyes groggily and stared at the ceiling. Only, there was no ceiling, just endless black. He sat up, feeling dazed and wondered where he was. The last thing he remembered was Azrielle and…death. His mind had been a mess of conflicting thoughts until the end. There was Lila and Reeve prodding at him, trying to get him to continue his murderous spree and then there was Azrielle and Vangelis.

The moment he passed through the gate in Prontera, he felt the familiar bloodlust of so long ago. He felt such anger and hatred; he was a crazed killer with nothing to satisfy his need for death. He tore mercilessly through his enemies until she confronted him.

At first, he had every intention of killing her, this woman that had caused him so much inner turmoil. Vangelis had then stepped between the two, intending to protect her. It made him angrier. Not just angry, but also jealous. He wanted to tear the scholar apart so he could take him out of the picture and to get to Azrielle…to kiss her one last time and then kill her.

He had felt such a strange mixture of love, jealousy, hatred and lust. At best, he acted like a primal monster with no coherent thoughts. He felt only the most basic of instincts. He had not expected Vangelis to actually attack him, but he did and it gave him a rude awakening before he took off inside the city. His inner demon, Dark Lord, was in a rage but as before, Athanas was trying to stave him off with what little was left of his will. If he killed himself, it would end, but it would never happen. He was a coward. Such a coward…

He remembered stopping to stare at the sky. Supposedly, heaven was there, he had always been told and that was one place he knew he would never go. No, it was straight to hell for him. There was no debating this. In Glast Heim, he had been pushed beyond normal limits and power no thanks to Reeve. With that newfound strength, he fell to the monster's will. Simply, he gave in.

Then, he somehow ended up dying in the arms of a woman he loved. He truly did love her. He debated with himself the things he felt for her. Those feelings made him want to be his old self and because of this, he was tormented. He had changed for the worse and there was no going back, no matter how badly he wanted it. Now, he was unsure whether he was dead or alive or where he was. Did it even matter?

"In between the barrier of life and death," a low, commanding voice spoke.

"For…?" Then there was a long, drawn out silence.

"Judgment," the voice said simply. He then heard slow, rhythmic steps and the clinking of metal against metal. From shadowy darkness, an armored skeletal figure stepped into the lord knight's view. The beige skull was ever blank. Empty sockets showed absolutely nothing but endless dark. Ah, this creature could only be the Lord of the Dead. "Do you take responsibility for the deaths in Glast Heim at your hand?"

"I was controlled."

"Perhaps you were, but you allowed yourself be controlled, therefore, you allowed yourself to destroy your home and your people. Do you object?"

"No…" The Lord of the Dead was right. He allowed himself to do this. Whether he was Reeve's puppet or not, he was at fault. He had told himself time after time that it was Reeve he had to blame but no, it was himself. It was finally time he admitted it to himself.

"Then I judge you guilty," a feminine voice said sternly. Sternness could not mask the sorrow and regret in her voice.

Azrielle…he could not see her, but she was there.

----------------

Vangelis sat in an unfamiliar dark place, brooding. He was dead, was he not? It didn't seem like it. "Reeve…doppelganger…whatever the hell you are…you ruined so many lives. The last battle between you and I was somehow unfulfilling," he whispered. Sure, he had given up his eternal "life" to be rid of the doppelganger but things were not how he would have liked them to be.

_"What are you doing?" the youngest high wizard shouted. The room was chaos and nothing less. A battle between wizards and alchemists was a sight to see. Remnants of elements such as fire and ice lay about the large room. Scorched walls and floors, chunks of ice and such. The air was filled with the faint pulse of electricity and a nearly unbearable pressure weighed them down. The doppelganger had many tricks up his sleeve apparently._

_Broken bottles of acid lay strewn around the floor, slowly eating away at the tiles and chunks of broken ice. Vangelis and Christopher had done their best to help with defensive magic but nothing they did seemed to work. Reeve would simply change his form to one of them and cancel out their attacks one way or another. Experience was something Christopher and Vangelis had with all their years, but the two wizards didn't have even half as much, as strong as they were._

_The scholar knew this would probably happen. He grudgingly descended on the doppelganger and did something he knew very well. Possession. It used to be a way to pass time in the castle when adventurers wandered by. He would have smiled at the thought of scaring people if the current situation was different._

_"When he stops attacking,_ kill him,_" Vangelis hissed at Christopher, Vance and Kaeru. They looked at him skeptically during their attacks. All three of them had sustained serious injuries but had not yet given up. He let his ghostly form dissipate into nothing and raced toward the doppelganger, forcing his soul inside of the body. Reeve gave a cry of surprise and anger as he realized what happened._

_The two wizards and the scholar wasted no time in bombarding the still doppelganger with their magic. It hurt badly since taking over Reeve's body meant he too felt the attack. The only bad thing was that he had to forfeit his own existence at the same time. He supposed it didn't really matter much, he was dead anyway. Without Azrielle or even Athanas or Nicholas around, there was no point in staying any longer. The rest was all history._

Now here he was, he didn't really know where he was, alone and apparently existing somewhere when he did not want to be. "_Vangelis...Vangelis? Vangelis, come here with me_!" a voice insisted. Sure, why not? He simply drifted away.

-------------------

"This time, you stay put. There's no reason for you two be up and about and that goes for you too, Vance," Mira glared at the two high wizards as she entered the room. She had gotten away with a few minor injuries but the two before her were a little more roughed up. The many other injured were currently in a makeshift infirmary in Prontera's church, among other places. She then looked a little apprehensive. "Are you up for a couple visitors, Kae? They've been waiting a while."

He merely shrugged; things could not possibly get worse, could they? He groaned and fell back on his cot as two knights stepped into view.

"Hey," they said in unison. The wizard blinked, an uneasy feeling growing in him. His older twin brothers, Akio and Kieran, looked at one another and back to their younger brother. They resembled Kaeru very much, their mother's heritage showing through in complexion and dark hair. Unlike Kaeru, though, they had their mother's dark eyes.

"What do you want?" the wizard asked suspiciously.

"We're not here to cause trouble, believe me. I think we need to talk though," Kieran said.

"First things first. We saw what happened to mom during the battle," Akio stated nonchalantly. Kaeru had absolutely nothing to say on _that_ matter. "She wasn't herself. She hadn't been herself for a long time, really. Something was wrong with her. There were a few days that she seemed like her old self but she left for Geffen, presumably to see you. After she came back, she was back to her bizarre act and told us that you had…killed Alex." Neither brother was sure of how they felt on either subject.

"He tried to kill me first," the high wizard said in his defense. The twins nodded but seemed unaffected.

"Don't get me wrong, Alex was our brother, but we lived in his shadow too. We were more surprised that _you_ had done it." Kaeru found Kieran's words slightly amusing. They had little faith in his ability to do anything it appeared. "To be honest, I know we didn't have much to do with you through the years, but we never wanted things to turn out the way they did. We were hoping to fix things between the three of us."

Kaeru nearly laughed at the strange idea but part of him desperately wanted his family back. "What about dad?" The twins exchanged another glance and were hesitant to say anything but Akio sighed.

"I think it best that you stayed away from him. He'd probably try to kill you. Unlike Alex, he's extremely experienced and unlike Mom, he hasn't quite lost his mind yet. He won't have anything to do with Kieran or myself anymore now that we've decided to make things right with you."

"Oh. We have a severely dysfunctional family," the wizard mumbled.

"Tell me about it."

Mira smiled at her cousin from her chair across the room. She knew her friend had been in good hands with Vance. She hoped this turned out well for Kaeru. He always worried her but maybe now she would worry less. She nearly fell out of her chair when the door swung open and hit the wall with a resounding crack. "Porings, girl! Take it easy," she exclaimed as a dark haired mage burst into the room. She heard Kaeru laugh until the mage launched herself at Kaeru.

"I thought you were dead! Twice!" she sobbed into his shoulder. "I d-don't take well to traumatic events. You know, like thinking you're _dead_." Kaeru couldn't help but grin.

"I'm fine, Zahra. I was worse after my brother had a go at me."

"I _know_ that! This is why you're not going near any of your family! Ever!" Zahra nearly shouted, wiping at her teary eyes. The first moment she had word that Kaeru might have been dead was from a conversation she "overheard" between a sniper and assassin. She couldn't move or breath when she thought that Kaeru could possibly be dead or die. She wouldn't be able to handle that news. She snapped out of her thoughts when she heard two people trying to stifle laughter behind her. Turning, she frowned at the two who were obviously twins. "What're _you_ laughing at?"

Akio shrugged. "Nothing really. Except..."

"We're Kaeru's brothers," Kieran finished. Zahra stared at them with a blank expression.

"I give up, Kae," the mage sighed in exasperation.

-------------------

Vangelis awoke with a start, having had the strangest dream. He blinked as he looked around, seeing only the familiar tall bookcases. It seemed he had fallen asleep at his desk in the library again. He shivered slightly and rubbed his arms in attempt to warm himself a bit, as the room was rather cold.

Wait—since when did he feel cold in death? He glanced down at his arms in wonder. They looked perfectly normal; pale skin, long sleeves on his forearms from his scholar's garb…then he noticed something. His heart was beating. As a ghost, he had no heartbeat. He was…

He leapt up, nearly overturning his chair and burst through the door of the library. He ran down the hall and came to a sudden halt at his destination. There was a large mirror hanging in the hall and he peered at himself hesitantly. "Oh porings," he said to himself. He was _alive_. A living person stared back at him, not some ghostly shadow of a man. Long brown hair tied up in a slightly messy fashion, blue-gray eyes...it was him!

"By the porings!" he gasped once more. He backed up until he bumped into the wall on the other side of the hallway. Confused was somehow not a strong enough emotion to describe what he was feeling. This was probably one of those dream within a dream things. It had to be.

"You all right? You look like you saw a ghost," he heard someone say. It was a voice he knew but that was the last thing on his mind. He was still watching himself in the mirror, puzzled expression and all. In dreams, you didn't know you were dreaming, did you?

"No—no ghost. Just me..." Vangelis looked to the source of the voice and nearly fainted. This definitely had to be a cruel, cruel dream.

"What in the world is wrong, Van?" the man laughed.

"I uh—you—I'm very confused," he groaned as he stared at Athanas. The _real_ Athanas. The lord knight simply stared at him with an amused expression. The scholar, for the life of him, could not figure out just what the hell was going on. One minute he was leaving existence and the next he was a living breathing thing in the old Glast Heim. The _living_ Glast Heim!

"Perhaps you should go eat something. I'm sure Julia is making breakfast right at this moment. Why don't you head over and join them?" Vangelis nodded numbly and stumbled down the hall.

The morning Autumn sun shone brightly as the scholar ran through the city toward the home of his friends, Nicholas and Julia. The thing that bothered him most was that Athanas acted like nothing was wrong. _Something_ was definitely wrong. Bad dreams, nothing more, right? He was never going to sleep again.

He finally reached the house he was looking for and walked right inside. He found the little family in the kitchen, talking amongst themselves. Julia was rummaging through a cabinet and Nicholas was playing with Tarek. "Vangelis?" Julia said, looking up from what she was doing. "Is something wrong?" She moved over to him and pulled him by the arm into the living room. The scholar looked extremely lost.

"I have no idea," he groaned. Would she think he was crazy? Probably. He was silently calling _himself_ crazy.

She grinned as if she knew something that he did not. "Vangelis, Vangelis…everyone deserves a second chance, don't you think?"

Wait—not a dream? "So we are…we…"

"Are alive and back in our adored Glast Heim. You and I are the only ones who know this has happened. Everyone else has no memory of the events that occurred with the doppelganger. Not even Athanas."

"Just us, is it?"

"Well, Glast Heim will never forget the tragedy that befell her. I thought you would be happy," she said. He really was when he thought about it but it just seemed too strange. What was the point of living again, though? The one thing he wanted was gone. She was in another time. The gap was just too large to even dream about.

Nicholas entered the room just then, handing the bubbly toddler to Vangelis and giving the scholar's ponytail a yank. "I'm off to work. Meet me for lunch at the usual place, yes?" Vangelis nodded soundlessly. Same old Nicholas.

As they watched the priest leave, Vangelis turned back to Julia. He wondered why it was only the two of them that were able to remember. "Why us?" he asked, batting Tarek's hands away from his hair. He was quite the mimic of Nicholas. It was all too surreal to be here he thought as he stared at the little boy as if nothing happened. Julia regarded him with a serene expression for a moment.

"It's simple. Do you think Athanas would be able to live normally if he remembered all the things he had done? Or the taint on his mind and the blood on his hands? Do you think Nicholas would have ever forgiven himself or lived a single day without guilt?"

"No, but what about me? Do you think _I want_ to remember all of this? It doesn't seem fair." He had seen enough bloodshed, insanity and evil for one lifetime. He did not want to have the memories stay with him. It was unfair. Unfair that he was stuck with horrible memories and longings.

"Of course not. You are stronger than they are, though you may not know it. I'm positive there are other reasons but I of course, don't know everything. I think you came out of it all right. Besides, would you want to forget about _her_?" the woman ventured. She had watched the events unfold for quite some time and she saw how things developed for Athanas and Vangelis.

"It wasn't me she loved, Julia. _Athanas_ was the one," he reminded her. It was always Athanas who got the things he wanted. Vangelis didn't want to be bitter or jealous when it came to his friend, but over the years, his mindset had changed. In all their years of living in the dead city, he had had too much time to think about all of this. Azrielle was only the icing on the cake. Perhaps he had become too cynical in death.

"You never knew for sure, did you? Let's not hold onto the bad memories. You will be just fine, I promise," she said. He hoped she was right.

Later that day, the lord knight and scholar strode down the street, chatting as if nothing had ever been wrong. It seemed so bizarre to Vangelis. He was glad for it though, despite any ill feelings he had toward Athanas. He had regained his family. After a few minutes, the little café they often ate lunch at came into view. They followed a path to the back of the quaint building where the fenced in outdoor tables were. As the entered, Vangelis froze. Nicholas had already arrived but he was not alone. A silver haired priestess he would know anywhere sat next to him. "Vangelis? Is something wrong?" His attention snapped to Athanas beside him.

"No," he said quickly. He waved to the pair at the table and they made their way over. The scholar took a seat across from the priestess, his eyes not wanting to pull away from the sight before him. As he did, a perplexed look crossed her face.

"Have we met?" she asked him. He was so familiar for some reason.

His heart suddenly dropped. She would not remember. "In another lifetime perhaps," he replied rather dejectedly.

Nicholas immediately began speaking and introduced them all. Much to his disappointment, Athanas and Azrielle got along famously. Vangelis sat in silence most of the time. Every so often they would direct something toward him and he would merely nod or give a short, vague answer. He wasn't really listening to anything they were speaking about. Athanas immediately took a liking to the priestess. This just made the scholar's mood worse.

Now that they were all alive and as they were before Reeve's intervention, with the addition of Azrielle, why would she fall for him when she clearly wanted Athanas? They conversed animatedly until the lord knight mentioned that he had to get back to his work. "Perhaps I could show you around Glast Heim later since you've just arrived?" the knight asked.

"Sure," she replied. He nodded and left her with a winning smile a moment later.

"I need to go as well. Apparently I'm supposed to do actual work today in the church," Nicholas mentioned. The three rose from their chairs and walked the path until they reached the street. Vangelis trudged behind the two priests. "Do you mind walking her back to her house, Van? She lives in a most confusing part of the city."

She laughed and shrugged her shoulders, "Juno was much simpler. I just need a few tries to learn my way."

"No problem," the scholar sighed. He tried to be a gentleman despite his mood. It wasn't really her fault. The heart does as it pleases, no matter how much distress it causes others.

"Great. See you two later," the priest said as he walked the opposite way waving to them.

The pair walked in silence but for different reasons. Vangelis was horribly depressed while Azrielle was trying to figure out why Vangelis was so familiar to her. Murmurs of merchants and people passing by were the only sounds between them. She stole a glance at the brooding scholar, still wondering. Vangelis was so deep in thought it took him a moment to notice that the priestess was no longer walking next to him. He stopped and turned to see her a few feet back. "Azrielle?"

She laughed quietly and sighed, "This is the strangest thing!" A whole lifetime of memories had suddenly flashed before her. Things suddenly made sense. Well, most things except for why she was in the old Glast Heim.

"What do you mean?"

"I've fallen in love three times in my life and fell out of it twice."

Vangelis quite literally stopped breathing for a moment. Did she just say—did she remember? Could she possibly…? "Did the remaining love last?" His tone was bitterer than he had wanted to let out. She nodded and clasped her hands behind her.

"I never did tell you who it was," she mused, a thoughtful smile on her face. She knew she had probably broken his heart after she said that phrase the first time but she couldn't deal with both him and Athanas at the same time. It would have been overwhelming.

"Athanas, correct?" he asked blandly.

"I thought so once but it would never work out. Terrible things follow him and I've had enough to last a lifetime or two. I care for him very much, but he wasn't the one I had in mind when I said that." She had thought long on this before she had died in Prontera. It was simply obvious but she was never _completely_ sure until now. Athanas had just needed her more in the end than Vangelis did. She couldn't have abandoned the lord knight.

"Then wh—"

"Do I have to spell it out for you?" she laughed. He stared at her quizzically. Birds called overhead, a merchant shouted, the wind blew and _then_ it _finally_ hit him.

"Oh porings! You meant _me_?" He was a little afraid to ask. Azrielle nodded. He was supposed to be very intelligent, was he not? Silly scholar. "Do you—Can I—Is it all—" he stumbled over his words until Azrielle interrupted him.

"Just come over here and kiss me, will you?" He didn't need to be told twice. All seemed right but for the pair of jealous eyes watching nearby.

_Fin_

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**A/N**: ASLJSF; It was short. Keep an eye out for the epilogue!

Now, I want to feel the LOVE. You will receive my endless adoration (and appreciation) if you do. SHOW ME THE LOVE! C'mon now, gimme some love. You know you wanna. Click my button, baby ;3!


	16. Epilogue

Gahh, finally. Epilogue complete. I'm only two months late, right? I shall now work on the sequel. I'm going to try and update more regularly like I did during the first half of DL.

A quick note since Ellie mentioned this in her review. I probably should have been a little more specific in a few details near the end. Since I'm doing a sequel though, things will be more clear (specifically with the Athanas/Azi/Van situation) later on.

Anyway, enjoy :3

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**Epilogue **

Mira's heart felt as if it were made of lead, heavy and toxic. The sorrow dragging her heart was slowly poisoning her spirit. Clutching at a handful of tulips, she walked, or rather limped—she was too much of a coward to let Luzien break and reset her leg— across the eerie threshold into Glast Heim. As usual, the skies were a dismal gray and the air was stale.

It must have been beautiful once. Perhaps if the skies opened up to let the sun in, one would be able to see the city as a shadow of its former glory. It would never happen though. This city was cursed.

The city of the dead was no longer the same place. There was nothing here, living or undead. It was, however, the final resting place of Azrielle. She did not want anyone to fuss over her friend and have a second funeral in Juno or Prontera. Mira knew that Azrielle would have hated that. So, thinking of Azrielle's wants, the wizard decided that Glast Heim be the final place.

There was no speech and no prying eyes as she and Kaeru buried Azrielle just a few short weeks ago. She came back alone this time to say her proper good-bye.

She made her way down the stone streets to a small, long forgotten graveyard in the northeast part of the city. Off the main street, she followed a narrow path until she saw the rusting wrought iron gate. One half was closed and the other side had broken away from its hinges and leaned against the fence. The grass here was over grown, but green and soft. Almost pleasant.

She strode slowly past ancient, crumbling stone markers. The names carved into the markers were far too weathered to read. Finally, she came upon four headstones. First, there was a marker for the ghost. He had no body to bury, but Mira felt he needed a place of his own. The light gray stone did not bear his name, only the word "scholar".

Next to it was Azrielle's stone. Her name was engraved, but nothing more. The priestess never did like people to talk about her too much. She was really a simple person and didn't want people to fuss over her.

After her stone, there was her beloved Dark Lord. Mira wondered what his and Azrielle's relationship was like. It could not have been anything but turbulent.

And finally, one for the priest. On his grave lay a small bundle of pale yellow roses. Mariah must have visited. She was the only other person that knew of this forgotten cemetery.

She sat in front of Azrielle's grave; the soil was mostly settled, but still soft. "Wherever you are, Azi, I hope you're happy." She remained in deep thought for some time. Now that Azrielle was taken care of and Kaeru had his brothers to support him, she had one more thing that was clawing its way to the front of her mind.

When she had gone the previous week to Izlude, she couldn't stay for more than a few hours. It had been a reminder of her own tragedy. She blamed herself for not standing up to Alexander. She wondered time and time again why she followed that order. She could have gotten away before setting fire to all those people and buildings. Her dilemma, however, was that her mother and aunt lived in Izlude.

Neither she nor Vance had found any sign that their mothers were alive or _dead_. It seemed like a great possibility that the two women had been burned beyond recognition. On the other hand, perhaps they had left the satellite city. Still, no one could find them.

Until she had proof of their life or deaths, she would keep searching. She just hoped for the best.

-------------------

Kaeru sat on bench in the center of Izlude taking a break from his work. The wizard had since recovered completely from his wounds so he had been eager to lend a hand. The extensive repairs and rebuilding of the satellite city would take time and a lot of hard work. People had come from a variety of different cities to aid in the repairs so there was no shortage of help.

There was, however, noticeable tension between many people. Some that had come to help rebuild had also helped destroy it. As far as anyone knew, no one had made an issue of it since there seemed to be no confrontations.

The crisp autumn air was slightly chilly, but not enough to warrant a heavy coat. He actually found it rather pleasant. Lately he had done quite a bit of thinking. So much had happened during the last year or so that he never really stopped to process the events. Until the last couple of weeks, that is.

The thing that weighed most heavily on his mind was his mother. He had not wanted things to end the way they did. He didn't care that he had put an end to Alexander, but his mother was different. As much as he hated her for the things she did, he still cared about her well-being. She was his mother after all. This fact made his guilt even worse.

He buried his face in his hands and groaned. Would he never have peace of mind? He then heard two pairs of footsteps on the stone walkway coming toward him. Akio and Kieran no doubt. He lifted his head a bit and saw that his guess was correct. The twins wore a similar dark jacket and blue scarf, and the same grin.

"You all right, Kae?" Akio asked as they approached, taking a seat on either side of the wizard.

Kaeru shrugged. "Other than the gut wrenching guilt and feeling that I'm going to hell for doing the things I've done, just fine."

The twins glanced at one another and back to their younger brother. "I figured that that's been bothering you," Kieran said. Putting an arm around Kaeru's shoulders, he tried to think of a way to ease the wizard's remorse. "You know, had you stood by and done nothing, Mom would have killed you. I'm convinced that she completely lost her mind. I'm just glad someone put her out of her misery."

"You shouldn't feel bad for anything you did. I'm pretty sure everyone did something they regret during the conflict. Including us." Akio paused in thought for a moment. He really felt terrible for being part of the hell their family put his little brother through. "It might take time, but you'll get past it. Besides, we're here to help. We have to make it up to you somehow."

Kieran nodded in agreement. "We were such jerks. I can't believe you want anything to do with us after all this time."

"You're still my brothers, regardless of how you've treated me in the past. At least you're trying to make up for it." Kaeru still had slight difficulty in trusting the twins completely. Thus far, they had been true to their words. It seemed that they really _did_ sever ties with their father.

"Oh! Question for you Kae," Akio said, trying to switch to a lighter subject. It wasn't that he didn't want to discuss the current subject, he just felt that a little of it went a long way. "Your wizard friend, uhh…what was her name?"

"Mira?"

"Yes! Is she seeing anyone?" the knight asked with a hopeful smile.

Kaeru eyed him suspiciously. "Not that I know of. Why?"

"Thinking about asking her on a date," he replied slowly. He knew the two wizards were close and Kae was likely to be protective by the tone of his voice. He watched his younger brother as he appeared to mull over Akio's words.

"Good luck with that venture. Her standards are…high, to say the least. You'll probably have to do some work to convince her. Do _not_, however, do anything to her that I wouldn't be happy about. I might have to resort to drastic measures to make you regret it. Okay?"

"Yes sir!" the knight grinned, saluting Kaeru.

Kieran laughed as he stood up. "Anyone up for lunch before we get back to work?" Both brothers nodded and followed Kieran. He was optimistic that things would improve greatly over time for all three of them.

---------------

"_Ahem_."

Luzien cracked an eye open at the sound of someone clearing their throat. Currently, he was contentedly napping next to a tree, snuggled in the warmth of his robe. "Mmm?"

"I'm pretty sure I didn't tell you to take a nap."

Uh oh. He didn't think anyone would miss one high priest out of all the others. Then again, this was Angela. He put on his most charming smile as he looked up at her. She did not respond as well as he hoped. She just crossed her arms and gave him and exasperated stare.

"Don't think you get to skip out on your fair share of work. You weren't even asked to do anything very strenuous, you lazy priest. Now, be a good boy and get back to work." She gestured for him to move, her patience thinning. He didn't fail to note that particular fact and hopped up. No wrath of Angela today!

He started to trot back to where he was helping, but paused and turned. "Say, Angela, are you going to be this bossy after we get married?"

Her eyes narrowed as she picked up a rock and hurled it at her _dearest_ priest. He ducked and ran off laughing. "I may kill him," she mumbled to herself as she watched him leave. She had been feeling uneasy ever since the end of the conflict and she had yet to figure out why.

She did know one thing. The Lord of Death was never far. In her dreams, she never saw him, but she could sense him. It seemed like he was waiting for something. Could something be wrong and he was simply waiting nearby in case he needed her and Luzien's assistance? Angela could not be sure.

---------------------

In Niflheim, things were more of less the same. The Deviruchi hopped onto a chair and peered out of a window (one that was still broken) of his creaky old house. He was not sure why, but the Lord of the Dead had not left the mortal world. All he did was wait. The Deviruchi thought it peculiar. He wouldn't dare ask why though. Even he wasn't _that_ stupid.

He was sure of one pretty big fact. He was quite disgruntled at the lack of business lately. Lord of the Dead was interfering. Mortals tended instinctively stay away from wherever he was at. In this case, it was Niflheim. He sighed and jumped down from the chair. He couldn't do anything about it. He just had to wait it out.

Still, the Lord of Death's presence had made the entire town go quiet and it was just plain odd. Niflheim was never a quiet place like Glast Heim so it was a bit disconcerting. Even now, the only sounds he could hear were the faint rustling of trees, the slow, repetitive clanking of armor, and the heavy hoof beats of the frightening skeletal horse Lord of Death rode.

A cliché saying came to mind. Perhaps it was the calm before the storm? He hoped there was no storm. But then, why would their Lord be here at all if there was not?

* * *

**A/N**: End. I've started on the sequel though. I need to work out a few details though. I can tell you, though, that the sequel will be much less "OMGOMGTHEWORLDISENDING". Probably a good thing. Unless people want that :o 


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